Editing Cromlech

{{short description|Megalithic construction made of large stone blocks}}
{{for|the place in Wales|Cromlech, Anglesey}}

A '''cromlech'''  (sometimes also spelled "cromleh" or "cromlêh"; cf Welsh ''crom'', "bent"; ''llech'', "slate") is a [[megalith]]ic construction made of large stone blocks. The word applies to two different megalithic forms in English,<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cromlech|title=Definition of CROMLECH|website=www.merriam-webster.com|accessdate=Apr 4, 2023}}</ref><ref name="lexico1">{{cite web|url=https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/cromlech |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102152323/https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/cromlech |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 2, 2020 |title=CROMLECH English Definition and Meaning |publisher=Lexico.com |date= |accessdate=2022-08-24}}</ref> the first being an [[wikt:altar tomb|altar tomb]] (frequently called a "[[dolmen]]"), as [[William Borlase]] first denoted in 1769.<ref name="Borlase1769">{{cite book|author=William Borlase|title=Antiquities, Historical and Monumental, of the County of Cornwall|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R2dTAAAAcAAJ|accessdate=12 April 2013|year=1769|publisher=S. Baker and G. Leigh}}</ref> A good example is at {{Ill|Carn Llechart|cy}}.<ref name="Cope1998">{{cite book|first=Julian|last= Cope|authorlink=Julian Cope|title=[[The Modern Antiquarian: A Pre-millennial Odyssey Through Megalithic Britain]] : Including a Gazetteer to Over 300 Prehistoric Sites|year=1998|page=281|publisher=Thorsons Pub|isbn=978-0-7225-3599-8}}</ref> The second meaning of the name "cromlech" in English refers to large [[stone circles]] such as those found among the [[Carnac stones]] in [[Brittany]], France.<ref name="lexico1"/><ref name="auto"/>

Unlike in English, the word "cromlech" in many other languages (such as Azerbaijani,  [[:hy:Կրոմլեխ|Armenian]], [[:fr:cromlech|French]], [[:el:Κρόμλεχ|Greek]], [[:id:cromlech|Indonesian]], [[:it:cromlech|Italian]], [[:ro:cromleh|Romanian]], and [[:es:Crómlech|Spanish]]) exclusively denotes a [[stone circle|megalithic stone circle]], whereas the word "[[dolmen]]" is used to refer to the type of megalithic altar tomb sometimes indicated by the English "cromlech". Also, more recently in English, scholars such as [[Aubrey Burl]] use "cromlech" as a synonym for "megalithic stone circle".<ref>Aubrey Burl: ''A Guide to the Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland and Brittany''. Yale University Press, New Haven 2006, {{ISBN|0-300-11406-0}}.</ref>

== List ==
* [[Almendres Cromlech]], the Cromlech of the Almendres megalithic complex, near Évora, Portugal
* [[Dinas Cromlech]], a rock outcrop in the Llanberis Pass, Snowdonia, Wales
* [[Dolni Glavanak Cromlech]], an oval stone circle near Dolni Glavanak, Bulgaria

==See also==
* [[Crom Dubh]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*{{wiktionary-inline}}
*{{Commonscat-inline}}

[[Category:Megalithic monuments in Europe]]
[[Category:Stone circles in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Stone circles in Europe]]