Meanings
plural cromlechs
- archaeologySynonym of stone circle (“a prehistoric monument consisting of standing stones arranged in a circle”), especially one located in Brittany, France.
Synonyms: stone circle
- UKWalesarchaeologysynonym of altar tomb or dolmen (“a prehistoric megalithic tomb consisting of a (somewhat) flat capstone lying horizontally on two or more upright stones”), especially one located in Wales, but also in England (chiefly Cornwall and Devon) or Ireland.
The korreds are supposed to live in the cromlechs, of which they are believed to have been the builders. They dance around them at night, and betide the unhappy peasant who joins them in their roundels.
1881, Wirt Sikes, British Goblins, Boston: James R. Osgood and Company, page 3811 more example
The scenes depicted on the emunctory field, showing our ancient duns and raths and cromlechs and grianauns and seats of learning and maledictive stones, are as wonderfully beautiful and the pigments as delicate as when the Sligo illuminators gave free rein to their artistic fantasy long long ago in the time of the Barmecides.
1922 February 2, James Joyce, “[Episode 12: Cyclops]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company […], →OCLC, part II [Odyssey], page 318Synonyms: altar tomb or dolmen
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSynonym of stone circle (“a prehistoric monument consisting of standing stones arranged in a circle”), especially one located in Brittany, France.
nounsynonym of altar tomb or dolmen (“a prehistoric megalithic tomb consisting of a (somewhat) flat capstone lying horizontally on two or more upright stones”), especially one located in Wales, but also in England (chiefly Cornwall and Devon) or Ireland.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna prehistoric megalithic tomb typically having two large upright stones and a capstone
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Welshcrom
- Proto-Indo-European*pleth₂-?
- Proto-Indo-European*pel-?
- Proto-Indo-European*pleh₂-
- Proto-Indo-European*pl̥keh₂
- Proto-Celtic*ɸlikkā
- Proto-Brythonic*llex
- Middle Welshllech
- Welshllech
- Welshcromlech
- Englishcromlech
Borrowed from Welsh cromlech, from crom, the feminine singular form of crwm (“bent, bowed, curved”). Sense 1 (“stone circle”) is from Breton cromlec'h, krommlec'h probably from Welsh cromlech: see above.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Basque cromlech
- cromlechsynonym of dolmen (cognates) — see also dolmen, monolith, megalith, obelisk, menhir
Catalan cromlec
- cromlecsynonym of dolmen (cognates) — see also dolmen, monolith, megalith, obelisk, menhir
Czech kromlech
- kromlechsynonym of dolmen (cognates) — see also dolmen, monolith, megalith, obelisk, menhir
Esperanto kromleĥo
- kromleĥosynonym of dolmen (cognates) — see also dolmen, monolith, megalith, obelisk, menhir
Estonian kromlehh
- kromlehhsynonym of dolmen (cognates) — see also dolmen, monolith, megalith, obelisk, menhir
Finnish cromlech
- cromlechsynonym of dolmen (cognates) — see also dolmen, monolith, megalith, obelisk, menhir
French cromlech, cromlec'h
- cromlechsynonym of dolmen (cognates) — see also dolmen, monolith, megalith, obelisk, menhir
- cromlec'hsynonym of dolmen (cognates) — see also dolmen, monolith, megalith, obelisk, menhir
German Cromlech, Kromlech
- Cromlechsynonym of dolmen (cognates) — see also dolmen, monolith, megalith, obelisk, menhir
- Kromlechsynonym of dolmen (cognates) — see also dolmen, monolith, megalith, obelisk, menhir
Greek κρόμλεχ
- κρόμλεχ (krómlech)synonym of dolmen (cognates) — see also dolmen, monolith, megalith, obelisk, menhir
Italian cromlech
- cromlechsynonym of dolmen (cognates) — see also dolmen, monolith, megalith, obelisk, menhir
Lithuanian kromlechas
- kromlechassynonym of dolmen (cognates) — see also dolmen, monolith, megalith, obelisk, menhir
Polish kromlech
- kromlechsynonym of dolmen (cognates) — see also dolmen, monolith, megalith, obelisk, menhir
Portuguese cromeleque
- cromelequesynonym of dolmen (cognates) — see also dolmen, monolith, megalith, obelisk, menhir
Russian кро́млех
- кро́млех (krómlex)synonym of dolmen (cognates) — see also dolmen, monolith, megalith, obelisk, menhir
Scottish Gaelic cromleac
- cromleacsynonym of dolmen (cognates) — see also dolmen, monolith, megalith, obelisk, menhir
Slovak kromlech
- kromlechsynonym of dolmen (cognates) — see also dolmen, monolith, megalith, obelisk, menhir
Spanish crómlech, crónlech
- crómlechsynonym of dolmen (cognates) — see also dolmen, monolith, megalith, obelisk, menhir
- crónlechsynonym of dolmen (cognates) — see also dolmen, monolith, megalith, obelisk, menhir
Welsh cromlech
- cromlechsynonym of dolmen (cognates) — see also dolmen, monolith, megalith, obelisk, menhir
Cite this entry
cromlech. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cromlech
“cromlech.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cromlech. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cromlech,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cromlech.
Source: cromlech on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.