ogham (redirected from oghams)

og·ham or og·am  (gm, m)

n.

1.

a. An alphabetic system of inscribed notches for vowels and lines for consonants used to write Old Irish, chiefly on the edges of memorial stones, from the fifth to the early seventh century.

b. A character used in this alphabet.

2.

a. An inscription in the ogham alphabet.

b. A stone inscribed in the ogham alphabet.

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[Irish Gaelic, from Old Irish ogom, after Ogma, name of a Celtic god; see ag- in Indo-European roots.]

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ogham, ogam [ˈɒgəm ɔːm]

n

(Linguistics / Letters of the Alphabet (Foreign)) an ancient alphabetical writing system used by the Celts in Britain and Ireland, consisting of straight lines drawn or carved perpendicular to or at an angle to another long straight line

[from Old Irish ogom, of uncertain origin but associated with the name Ogma, legendary inventor of this alphabet]

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ogham, ogam

1. an alphabetical script originally used for inscriptions in the Irish language from the 5th to the 10th centuries.
2. any of the 20 characters of this script.
3. an inscription in this script. — oghamist, ogamist, n.

See also: Writing