cuneiform

cuneiform

English

Assyrian tablet bearing cuneiform script.

Alternative forms

• cuniform

Etymology

From French cunéiforme or New Latin cuneifōrmis, from Classical Latin cuneus (“wedge”) + fōrma.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkjuː.nɪ.fɔːm/, /ˈkjuː.ni.ɪ.fɔːm/, /kjʊˈneɪ.ɪ.fɔːm/

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• (General American) IPA^(key): /kjuˈni.ə.fɔɹm/, /ˈkju.nɪ.fɔɹm/

Adjective

cuneiform (not comparable)

1. Having the form of a wedge; wedge-shaped, especially with a tapered end.
   • 1936, W. Frank Calderon, Animal Painting and Anatomy, page 297:

     The cuneiform tendon is always sharply defined when the hock is flexed by the action of the muscle.

   • 1952, Aileen Fox, Roman Exeter (Isca Dumnoniorum): Excavations in the War-damaged Areas, 1945-1947, page 69:

     The cuneiform leaf is not the characteristic heart-shaped early form (O. and P., p. 241).

2. Written in the cuneiform writing system.
   • 1911, Alvin Sylvester Zerbe, The Antiquity of Hebrew Writing and Literature, page 182:

     There, too, it was originally the vulgar script in contrast with the official cuneiform script employed for all official documents, compacts, etc.

   • 2000, Jöran Friberg, A Remarkable Collection of Babylonian Mathematical Texts, page ix:

     The text is inscribed on a clay tablet of a very unusual format. The only other known mathematical cuneiform text on a clay tablet of a similar format is also the only previously known Kassite (and therefore post-Old-Babylonian) mathematical cuneiform text.

Synonyms

• cuneiform bone
• precuneiform
• wedgelike
• wedge-shaped
• wedgy

 

Translations

having the form of a wedge

Afrikaans: wigvormig Belarusian: клінападо́бны (klinapadóbny) Bulgarian: клиновиден (klinoviden) Dutch: wigvormig (nl) Galician: cuneiforme (gl) German: keilförmig (de) Greek: σφηνοειδής (el) (sfinoeidís) Hungarian: ék alakú Icelandic: fleyglaga Irish: dingchruthach Russian: клинови́дный (ru) (klinovídnyj), клинообра́зный (ru) (klinoobráznyj) Swedish: kilformad, kilformig Ukrainian: клиноподі́бний (klynopodíbnyj)

written in the cuneiform writing system

Afrikaans: spykerskrif, wigskrif Armenian: սեպագիր (hy) (sepagir), բեւեռագիր (hy) (beweṙagir) Belarusian: клінапі́сны (klinapísny) Dutch: spijkerschrift (nl) n, wigschrift n French: cunéiforme (fr) Galician: cuneiforme (gl) Georgian: ლურსმული (lursmuli), სოლისებრი (solisebri) German: keilschriftlich Greek: σφηνοειδής (el) (sfinoeidís) Hungarian: ékírásos (hu) Italian: cuneiforme (it) m or f Polish: klinowy (pl) Russian: клинопи́сный (ru) (klinopísnyj) Spanish: cuneiforme (es) Swedish: kilskrift (sv) Ukrainian: клинопи́сний (klynopýsnyj)

Noun

cuneiform (plural cuneiforms)

1. An ancient Mesopotamian writing system, adapted within several language families, originating as pictograms in Sumer around the 30th century BC, evolving into more abstract and characteristic wedge shapes formed by a blunt reed stylus on clayen tablets.
2. (anatomy) A wedge-shaped bone, especially a cuneiform bone.

Synonyms

• wedge-writing

 

Derived terms

• cuneiformist

 

Translations

ancient writing system

Afrikaans: spykerskrif, wigskrif Arabic: مِسْمَارِيَّة‎ (mismāriyya) Armenian: սեպագիր (hy) (sepagir), բեւեռագիր (hy) (beweṙagir) Belarusian: клінапіс (klinapis) Bengali: কিউনিফর্ম (kiuniphôrmô) Bulgarian: клинопис m (klinopis) Catalan: cuneïforme (ca) m Chinese: Cantonese: 楔形文字 (sit3 jing4 man4 zi6), 釘頭文字, 钉头文字 (ding1 tau4 man4 zi6, deng1 tau4 man4 zi6), 箭頭文字, 箭头文字 (zin3 tau4 man4 zi6), 楔形字 (sit3 jing4 zi6), 釘頭字, 钉头字 (ding1 tau4 zi6, deng1 tau4 zi6), 箭頭字, 箭头字 (zin3 tau4 zi6) Mandarin: 楔形文字 (zh) (xiēxíng wénzì), 釘頭文字／钉头文字 (dīngtóu wénzì), 箭頭文字／箭头文字 (jiàntóu wénzì), 楔形字 (xiēxíngzì), 釘頭字／钉头字 (dīngtóuzì), 箭頭字／箭头字 (jiàntóuzì) Min Nan: teng-á-jī Czech: klínové písmo n Danish: kileskrift c Dutch: spijkerschrift (nl) n, wigschrift n Esperanto: kojnoskribo Finnish: nuolenpääkirjoitus (fi) French: cunéiforme (fr) m Galician: cuneiforme (gl) Georgian: სოლისებრი დამწერლობა (solisebri damc̣erloba), ლურსმული დამწერლობა (lursmuli damc̣erloba) German: Keilschrift (de) f Greek: σφηνοειδής γραφή f (sfinoeidís grafí) Hebrew: כְּתַב יְתֵדוֹת‎ m (ktav yetedót) Hindi: अंकन (hi) (aṅkan), क्यूनिफार्म (kyūniphārm), कोलाक्षर (hi) m (kolākṣar), कीलाक्षर m (kīlākṣar) Hungarian: ékírás (hu) Icelandic: fleygrúnir f pl, fleygletur n Japanese: 楔形文字 (kusabigata moji) Korean: 쐐기문자 (sswaegimunja) Latvian: ķīļraksts (lv) m Macedonian: клинесто писмо n (klinesto pismo) Persian: میخی‎ (fa) (mixi) Polish: pismo klinowe n Portuguese: cuneiforme (pt) m Russian: кли́нопись (ru) f (klínopisʹ) Serbo-Croatian: klinasto pismo n Slovene: klinopis (sl) m Spanish: escritura cuneiforme f Swedish: kilskrift (sv) c Thai: please add this translation if you can Turkish: çivi yazısı (tr) Ukrainian: кли́нопис m (klýnopys) Vietnamese: chữ hình nêm

wedge-shaped bone

Catalan: cuneïforme (ca) m Finnish: kiilamainen luu (wedge-shaped bone in general); vaajaluu (cuneiform bone) French: os cunéiforme (fr) m Galician: cuneiforme (gl) Greek: σφηνοειδής (el) f (sfinoeidís) Macedonian: клинеста коска f (klinesta koska) Portuguese: cuneiforme (pt) m Russian: клинови́дная кость (ru) f (klinovídnaja kostʹ) Spanish: (hueso) cuneiforme m Swedish: kilben n

See also

• Akkadian, Accadian
• Old Persian
• Ugaritic

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Romanian

Etymology

From French cunéiforme.

Adjective

cuneiform m or n (feminine singular cuneiformă, masculine plural cuneiformi, feminine and neuter plural cuneiforme)

1. cuneiform

Declension

Declension of cuneiform

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	cuneiform		cuneiformă	cuneiformi	cuneiforme
	definite	cuneiformul		cuneiforma	cuneiformii	cuneiformele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	cuneiform		cuneiforme	cuneiformi	cuneiforme
	definite	cuneiformului		cuneiformei	cuneiformilor	cuneiformelor