cuneiform

English

Wikipedia

Alternative forms

• cuniform

Etymology

From French cunéiforme or New Latin cuneiformis, from Classical Latin cuneus (“wedge”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kjuːˈni.ə.fɔɹm/

Adjective

cuneiform (comparative more cuneiform, superlative most cuneiform)

1. Having the form of a wedge; wedge-shaped.
2. Written in the cuneiform writing system.

   cuneiform script

   cuneiform script

Synonyms

• wedgelike
• wedgy

Translations

shaped like a wedge — see wedgelike

Noun

cuneiform (plural cuneiforms)

1. An ancient Mesopotamian writing system, adapted within several language families, originating as pictograms in Sumer around the 30th century BC, evolving into more abstract and characteristic wedge shapes formed by a blunt reed stylus on clay tablets.
2. (anatomy) A wedge-shaped bone, especially a cuneiform bone.

Derived terms

• cuneiformist

Translations

ancient writing system

Bulgarian: клинопис (bg) (klinopis) m. Catalan: cuneïforme (ca) m. Chinese: Mandarin: 楔形文字 (cmn) (xiēxíng wénzì) Finnish: nuolenpääkirjoitus (fi)

German: Keilschrift (de) f. Greek: σφηνοειδής γραφή (el) (sfinoeidís grafí) f. Japanese: 楔形文字 (ja) (kusabigata-mo’) Russian: клинопись (ru) (klínopis') f.

wedge-shaped bone

Catalan: cuneïforme (ca) m. Finnish: kiilamainen (fi) luu (fi); vaajaluu (fi)

Greek: σφηνοειδής (el) (sfinoeidís) f. Russian: клиновидная кость (ru) (klinovídnaja kost’) f.