petroglyph

noun

pet·​ro·​glyph ˈpe-trə-ˌglif 

: a carving or inscription on a rock

Examples of petroglyph in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Travelers who’d rather be outside should drive south on Snake River Road to Buffalo Eddy, where hundreds of petroglyphs etched into the basalt by Nez Perce ancestors thousands of years ago remain visible from the riverbank. — Lauren Mowery, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

The Zuni still return, making pilgrimages to the region to affirm what their oral history tells them, reading petroglyphs – images carved into the rock by their ancestors – that match those at their present-day home of Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico. — Kerri J. Malloy, The Conversation, 23 July 2026

After settling in, hike to the nearby Havtsgait Valley, where Bronze Age petroglyphs offer a glimpse into the lives of people who inhabited this landscape thousands of years ago. — Undraa Buyannemekh, Travel + Leisure, 22 July 2026

Both sites are considered sacred by Native Americans, marked by cliff dwellings, petroglyphs and scenic canyons, as well as by burial sites and ancestral villages. — News Desk, Artforum, 14 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

petro- + glyph, probably after hieroglyph

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for petroglyph

• hieroglyph
• biff
• cliff
• diff
• glyph
• griff
• if
• riff
• schiff
• skiff
• sniff
• stiff