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petroglyph

noun

pet·​ro·​glyph ˈpe-trə-ˌglif How to pronounce petroglyph (audio)
: a carving or inscription on a rock

Examples of petroglyph in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
On November 17, a Utah woman named Daniela Ganassim Ericksen was sentenced for vandalizing a panel of Native American petroglyphs in southern Utah in 2024. Owen Clarke, Outside, 20 Nov. 2025 The petroglyphs are known as ezhibiigaadek asin, or written on stone, in Anishinaabemowin language. Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 16 Nov. 2025 Ariana Enriquez, a local artist, was commissioned to create interior artwork for the store depicting the local White Tank Mountains, native wildlife, and petroglyphs from the Hohokam and Western Yavapai people. Rey Covarrubias Jr, AZCentral.com, 27 Oct. 2025 There are potsherds and petroglyphs all over, plus an old adobe cabin up in the arroyo. Rowan Jacobsen, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for petroglyph

Word History

Etymology

petro- + glyph, probably after hieroglyph

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of petroglyph was in 1854

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Cite this Entry

“Petroglyph.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/petroglyph. Accessed 30 Nov. 2025.

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