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
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The church did not directly acknowledge whether the petroglyphs had been damaged. Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 17 Sep. 2025 Knowingly destroying petroglyphs can be a felony. Hannah Dreyfus, AZCentral.com, 15 Sep. 2025 Recommendations The Honanki Heritage Site, built by ancestors of the Hopi tribe, transports you to the 12th to 14th centuries with enigmatic cliff dwellings, pictographs and petroglyphs. New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025 Depictions of birds in art go back to prehistoric petroglyphs and pictographs. Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 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 29 Sep. 2025.

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