cu·ne·i·form

(kyo͞o′nē-ə-fôrm′, kyo͞o-nē′-)

adj.

1. Wedge-shaped.

a. Of or relating to any of various related writing systems of the ancient Near East having characters formed by the arrangement of small wedge-shaped elements and used to write Sumerian, Akkadian, Elamite, Hittite, Old Persian, and other languages.

b. Relating to, composed in, or using such characters.

3. Anatomy Of, relating to, or being a wedge-shaped bone or cartilage.

1. Cuneiform writing.

2. Anatomy A wedge-shaped bone, especially one of three such bones in the tarsus of the foot.

[Latin cuneus, wedge + -form.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

cuneiform

(ˈkjuːnɪˌfɔːm)

adj

1. Also: cuneal wedge-shaped

2. (Letters of the Alphabet (Foreign)) of, relating to, or denoting the wedge-shaped characters employed in the writing of several ancient languages of Mesopotamia and Persia, esp Sumerian, Babylonian, etc

3. (Letters of the Alphabet (Foreign)) of or relating to a tablet in which this script is employed

4. (Anatomy) of or relating to any of the three tarsal bones

5. (Letters of the Alphabet (Foreign)) cuneiform characters or writing

6. (Anatomy) any one of the three tarsal bones

[C17: probably from Old French cunéiforme, from Latin cuneus wedge]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

cu•ne•i•form

(kyuˈni əˌfɔrm, ˈkyu ni ə-)

adj.

1. having the form of a wedge; wedge-shaped.

2. composed of slim triangular or wedge-shaped elements, as the characters used in writing by the ancient Akkadians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, and others.

3. written in cuneiform characters.

4. of or pertaining to any wedge-shaped bone, as certain tarsal bones.

5. cuneiform characters or writing.

[1670–80; < Latin cune(us) a wedge + -i- + -form]

cuneiform

A non-alphabetic system of writing used throughout the ancient world for over 2,000 years. It was probably invented by the Sumerians. A symbol was constructed out of sets of wedge-shaped strokes made in soft clay with pieces of reed.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	cuneiform - an ancient wedge-shaped script used in Mesopotamia and Persia script - a particular orthography or writing system Babylonian - the ideographic and syllabic writing system in which the ancient Babylonian language was written
Adj.	1.	cuneiform - shaped like a wedge cuneal, wedge-shaped
	2.	cuneiform - of or relating to the tarsal bones (or other wedge-shaped bones) anatomy, general anatomy - the branch of morphology that deals with the structure of animals

Translations

Keilschrift

cuneiforme

клиновидная кость клинопись

cuneiform

[ˈkjuːnɪfɔːm] ADJ → cuneiforme

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

cuneiform

adj → keilförmig; characters, inscription → in Keilschrift; cuneiform writing → Keilschrift f

n → Keilschrift f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

cuneiform

[ˈkjuːnɪˌfɔːm] adj & n → cuneiforme (m)

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

Relying on the data of thousands of cuneiform sources that he analyzed first-hand, he investigates when, how, and why weighing appeared; how it changed during the course of the third millennium BC; and how it reflected and affected economic and social practices and relations.

Establishing Value: Weight Measures in Early Mesopotamia

Due for return to Iraq is an important collection of tablets bearing cuneiform, a very early writing system.

UK returning raft of artefacts looted in recent conflicts; Heritage: Treasures belong to Iraq and Afghanistan

He studied Cuneiform writing, which is one of the earliest systems of writing invented by the Sumerians in 3,200 BC, to decipher inscriptions from the Dilmun civilisation in order to create the replica.

Historian recreates Dilmun-era musical instrument which was 'used to greet kings'

Al-Qayyem said that the most important discovery in Ugarit is its revolutionary alphabet which summarized the cuneiform signs from 600 to 30 letters that became the basis of the international alphabet.

Secrets of Ugarit culture and their effect on the region and the world

The correspondence of the chronological end-point of the Axial Age with diminished production of cuneiform documents in the Hellenistic period contributes to Elman's setting-aside of a consideration of the production of knowledge in cuneiform, unfortunate in view of its (limited) continuity until the first century CE.

Encounters by the Rivers of Babylon

Characterization of a Bipartite Medial Cuneiform: Micro-CT and Anatomical Study

Caracterizacion de un Cuneiforme Medial Bipartito: Micro-CT y estudio anatomico

Sumeria was unknown to archaeologists, historians and anthropologists, and our knowledge of it began only in 1849, when 14 cuneiform tablets were discovered in Iraq and later deciphered.

Sumeria and the origins of man

(7-9) The duplication of cuneiform tarsal bones is also seen.

Treatment of the Mirror Foot with Central Ray Resection: Report of 2 Cases

Before Nature: Cuneiform Knowledge and the History of Science.

Before Nature: Cuneiform Knowledge and the History of Science

Greenand a consultant traveled to the United Arab Emirates in July 20 to inspect a large number of cuneiform tablets, a system of writing on clay tablets that was used in ancient Mesopotamia thousands of years ago, according to the U.S.

Hobby Lobby forfeits 245 additional Iraq religious artifacts

The Justice Department said Hobby Lobby ignored the warnings of an expert in 2010 and paid $1.6 million for 5,500 artifacts of questionable origin--including rare cuneiform tablets (traditional clay slabs with wedge-shaped writing that originated in ancient Mesopotamia, now Iraq).

Hobby Lobby To Pay $3 Million Fine And Forfeit Smuggled Artifacts