cuneiform

English

Assyrian tablet bearing cuneiform script.

Alternative forms

• cuniform

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kjʊˈneɪ.ɪ.fɔːm/
• IPA^(key): /kjuːˈni.ə.fɔɹm/

Adjective

cuneiform (not comparable)

1. Having the form of a wedge; wedge-shaped, especially with a tapered end.
   • 1936, W. Frank Calderon, Animal Painting and Anatomy, page 297:

     The cuneiform tendon is always sharply defined when the hock is flexed by the action of the muscle.

   • 1952, Aileen Fox, Roman Exeter (Isca Dumnoniorum): Excavations in the War-damaged Areas, 1945-1947, page 69:

     The cuneiform leaf is not the characteristic heart-shaped early form (O. and P., p. 241).

2. Written in the cuneiform writing system.
   • 1911, Alvin Sylvester Zerbe, The Antiquity of Hebrew Writing and Literature, page 182:

     There, too, it was originally the vulgar script in contrast with the official cuneiform script employed for all official documents, compacts, etc.

   • 2000, Jöran Friberg, A Remarkable Collection of Babylonian Mathematical Texts, page ix:

     The text is inscribed on a clay tablet of a very unusual format. The only other known mathematical cuneiform text on a clay tablet of a similar format is also the only previously known Kassite (and therefore post-Old-Babylonian) mathematical cuneiform text.

Synonyms

• wedge-shaped
• wedgelike
• wedgy

Translations

having the form of a wedge

• Afrikaans: wigvormig
• Bulgarian: клиновиден (klinoviden)
• Dutch: wigvormig (nl)
• German: keilförmig (de)
• Greek: σφηνοειδής (el) (sfinoeidís)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Icelandic: fleyglaga
• Irish: dingchruthach
• Russian: клинови́дный (ru) (klinovídnyj)

written in the cuneiform writing system

• Afrikaans: spykerskrif, wigskrif
• Armenian: սեպագիր (hy) (sepagir), բեւեռագիր (beweṙagir)
• Dutch: spijkerschrift (nl) n, wigschrift n
• French: cunéiforme (fr)
• Georgian: ლურსმული (lursmuli), სოლისებრი (solisebri)
• German: keilschriftlich
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Greek: σφηνοειδής (el) (sfinoeidís)
• Italian: cuneiforme (it) m or f
• Polish: klinowy
• Russian: клинопи́сный (ru) (klinopísnyj)
• Spanish: cuneiforme (es)

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.

Synonyms

• wedge-writing

Derived terms

• cuneiformist

Translations

ancient writing system

• Afrikaans: spykerskrif, wigskrif
• Arabic: مِسْمَارِيَّة (mismāriyya)
• Armenian: սեպագիր (hy) (sepagir), բեւեռագիր (beweṙagir)
• Belarusian: клінапіс (klinapis)
• Bengali: কিউনিফর্ম (kiuniphormo)
• Bulgarian: клинопис m (klinopis)
• Catalan: cuneïforme m
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 楔形文字 (sit³ jing⁴ man⁴ zi⁶), 釘頭文字／钉头文字, 钉头文字 (ding¹ tau⁴ man⁴ zi⁶, deng¹ tau⁴ man⁴ zi⁶), 箭頭文字／箭头文字, 箭头文字 (zin³ tau⁴ man⁴ zi⁶), 楔形字 (sit³ jing⁴ zi⁶), 釘頭字／钉头字, 钉头字 (ding¹ tau⁴ zi⁶, deng¹ tau⁴ zi⁶), 箭頭字／箭头字, 箭头字 (zin³ tau⁴ zi⁶)

  Mandarin: 楔形文字 (zh) (xiēxíng wénzì), 釘頭文字／钉头文字, 钉头文字 (dīngtóu wénzì), 箭頭文字／箭头文字, 箭头文字 (jiàntóu wénzì), 楔形字 (xiēxíngzì), 釘頭字／钉头字, 钉头字 (dīngtóuzì), 箭頭字／箭头字, 箭头字 (jiàntóuzì)

  Min Nan: teng-á-jī

• Czech: klínové písmo n
• Danish: kileskrift c
• Dutch: spijkerschrift (nl) n, wigschrift n
• Esperanto: kojnoskribo
• Finnish: nuolenpääkirjoitus (fi)
• French: cunéiforme (fr) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Georgian: სოლისებრი დამწერლობა (solisebri damc̣erloba), ლურსმული დამწერლობა (lursmuli damc̣erloba)
• German: Keilschrift (de) f
• Greek: σφηνοειδής γραφή f (sfinoeidís grafí)
• Hebrew: כְּתַב יְתֵדוֹת m (ktav yetedót)
• Hindi: अंकन (hi) (aṅkan), क्यूनिफार्म (kyūniphārm), कोलाक्षर (hi) m (kolākṣar), कीलाक्षर m (kīlākṣar)
• Hungarian: ékírás (hu)
• Icelandic: fleygrúnir f pl, fleygletur n
• Japanese: 楔形文字 (kusabigata moji)
• Korean: 쐐기문자 (sswaegimunja)
• Latvian: ķīļraksts (lv) m
• Macedonian: клинесто писмо n (klinesto pismo)
• Persian: میخی (fa) (mixi)
• Polish: pismo klinowe n
• Portuguese: cuneiforme (pt) m
• Russian: кли́нопись (ru) f (klínopisʹ)
• Slovene: klinopis (sl) m
• Spanish: escritura cuneiforme f
• Swedish: kilskrift c
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: please add this translation if you can
• Ukrainian: кли́нопис m (klýnopys)
• Vietnamese: chữ hình nêm

wedge-shaped bone

• Catalan: cuneïforme m
• Finnish: kiilamainen luu (wedge-shaped bone in general); vaajaluu (cuneiform bone)
• French: os cunéiforme (fr) m
• Greek: σφηνοειδής (el) f (sfinoeidís)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Macedonian: клинеста коска f (klinesta koska)
• Portuguese: cuneiforme (pt) m
• Russian: клинови́дная кость (ru) f (klinovídnaja kostʹ)
• Spanish: (hueso) cuneiforme m

See also

• Akkadian, Accadian
• Old Persian
• Ugaritic