Editing Dolmen (section)

==Etymology==
===Celtic or French===

The word ''dolmen'' entered archaeology when [[Théophile Corret de la Tour d'Auvergne]] used it to describe megalithic tombs in his {{Lang|fr|Origines gauloises}} (1796) using the spelling ''dolmin'' (the current spelling was introduced about a decade later and had become standard in French by about 1885).<ref>{{cite book|last=Bakker|first=Jan Albert|title=Megalithic Research in the Netherlands, 1547–1911|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_MQiK5ATCL1wC|year=2009|publisher=Sidestone Press|isbn=978-9088900341 |page=36}}</ref><ref>Corret de la Tour d'Auvergne, {{google books|vmpAAAAAcAAJ|Origines gauloises. Celles des plus anciens peuples de l'Europe puisées dans leur vraie source ou recherche sur la langue, l'origine et les antiquités des Celto-bretons de l'Armorique, pour servir à l'histoire ancienne et moderne de ce peuple et à celle des Français|page=PR1}}, 1796–97.</ref> Some sources indicate that dolmen is [[Breton language|Breton]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dolmen – Ancient Megalithic Structures & Archaeology |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/dolmen |access-date=2025-03-14 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> although the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' (''OED'') describes its origin as "Modern French" and argues that de la Tour d'Auvergne used the Cornish word for a cromlech, ''tolmên'', but misspelled it as ''dolmin'',<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.oed.com/dictionary/dolmen_n |title=Oxford English Dictionary |publisher=Oxford University Press |orig-year=1989|year= 2024 |edition=2nd}}</ref>  and other sources refer to dolmen as a "continental term."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=McGuinness |first=David |date=1996 |title=Edward Lhuyd's Contribution to the Study of Irish Megalithic Tombs |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25549806 |journal=The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland |volume=126 |pages=62–85 |jstor=25549806}}</ref> Whatever the origin, dolmen has replaced ''cromlech'' as the usual English term in archaeology, when the more technical and descriptive alternatives are not used. The later Cornish term was [[wikt:quoit|''quoit'']] – an English-language word for an object with a hole through the middle preserving the original Cornish language term of {{Lang|kw|tolmen}} – the name of another dolmen-like monument is [[Mên-an-Tol]] 'stone with hole' (Standard Written Form: ''Men An Toll''.)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/1999/nov/12/maevkennedy1|title = Vandals threaten stone age monuments| website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |date = 12 November 1999}}</ref>

In [[Irish Gaelic]], dolmens are called {{langx|ga|dolmain}}.<ref>{{Cite web|title=dolmen – Translation to Irish Gaelic with audio pronunciation of translations for dolmen by New English-Irish Dictionary|url=https://www.focloir.ie/en/dictionary/ei/dolmen|access-date=2020-11-26|website=www.focloir.ie}}</ref>

===Germanic===
Dolmens are known by a variety of names in other languages, including [[Galician language|Galician]] and {{langx|pt|anta}}, {{langx|bg|translit=Dolmeni|Долмени}}, {{langx|de|Hünengrab/Hünenbett}}, [[Afrikaans]] and {{langx|nl|hunebed}}, {{langx|eu|trikuharri}}, [[Abkhaz language|Abkhaz]]: {{Lang|ab-latn|Adamra}}, [[Adyghe language|Adyghe]]: {{Lang|ady-latn|Ispun}}

[[Danish language|Danish]] and {{langx|no|dysse}}, {{langx|sv|dös}}, {{langx|ko|translit=goindol (go-in = 'propped' + dol = 'stone')|고인돌}}, and {{langx|he|גַלעֵד}}. [[:wikt:granja|''Granja'']] is used in [[Portugal]] and [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=  https://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=14333}}</ref> The forms ''anta'' and ''ganda'' also appear. In [[Catalan language|Catalan-speaking areas]], they are known simply as {{Lang|ca|dolmen}}, but also by a variety of folk names, including {{Lang|ca|cova}} ('cave'),<ref name=GEC>{{Cite GREC|dolmen|title=Dolmen}}</ref> {{Lang|ca|caixa}} ('crate' or 'coffin'),<ref name=caixa>Alcover, Antoni M.; Moll, Francesc de B. [https://dcvb.iec.cat/results.asp "caixa"] (in Catalan). In: ''Diccionari català-valencià-balear''. Palma: Moll, 1930–1962. {{ISBN|8427300255}}.</ref> {{Lang|ca|taula}} ('table'),<ref name=taula>Alcover, Antoni M.; Moll, Francesc de B. [https://dcvb.iec.cat/results.asp "taula"] (in Catalan). In: ''Diccionari català-valencià-balear''. Palma: Moll, 1930–1962. {{ISBN|8427300255}}.</ref> {{Lang|ca|arca}} ('chest'),<ref name=GEC/> {{Lang|ca|cabana}} ('hut'), {{Lang|ca|barraca}} ('hut'), {{Lang|ca|llosa}} ('slab'), {{Lang|ca|llosa de jaça}} ('pallet slab'),<ref>Alcover, Antoni M.; Moll, Francesc de B. [https://dcvb.iec.cat/results.asp "llosa de jaça"] (in Catalan). In: ''Diccionari català-valencià-balear''. Palma: Moll, 1930–1962. {{ISBN|8427300255}}.</ref> {{Lang|ca|roca}} ('rock') or {{Lang|ca|pedra}} ('stone'), usually combined with a second part such as {{Lang|la|de l'alarb}} ('of the Arab'),<ref name=caixa/> {{Lang|ca|del/de moro/s}} ('of the Moor/s'),<ref name=caixa/><ref>Alcover, Antoni M.; Moll, Francesc de B. [https://dcvb.iec.cat/results.asp "cova"] (in Catalan). In: ''Diccionari català-valencià-balear''. Palma: Moll, 1930–1962. {{ISBN|8427300255}}.</ref> {{Lang|ca|del lladre}} ('of the thief'), {{Lang|ca|del dimoni}} ('of the devil'), {{Lang|ca|d'en Rotllà/Rotllan/Rotlan/Roldan}} ('of [[Roland]]').<ref name=taula/><ref name=caixa/> In the [[Basque Country (greater region)|Basque Country]], they are attributed to the ''[[jentil]]ak'', a race of giants.

The [[etymology]] of the {{langx|de|Hünenbett, Hünengrab}} and {{langx|nl|hunebed}} – with {{Lang|de|Hüne}}''/''{{Lang|nl|hune}} meaning 'giant' – all evoke the image of [[Giant (mythology)|giants]] buried ({{Lang|de|bett}}/{{Lang|nl|bed}}/{{Lang|de|grab}} = 'bed/grave') there. Of other [[Celtic languages]], [[Welsh language|Welsh]] {{Lang|cy|cromlech}} was borrowed into English and ''quoit'' is commonly used in English in [[Cornwall]].