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cyclopean

 
Dictionary: cy·clo·pe·an   ('klə-pē'ən, sī-klō'pē-) pronunciation
adj.
  1. often Cyclopean Relating to or suggestive of a Cyclops: a great Cyclopean monocle.
  2. Very big; huge: has a cyclopean ego.
  3. Of or constituting a primitive style of masonry characterized by the use of massive stones of irregular shape and size.

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Wordsmith Words: cyclopean
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(sy-kluh-PEE-uhn, si-KLOP-ee-uhn)

adjective
1. Of or suggestive of Cyclops; one-eyed.
2. Huge.
3. Formed with large, irregular stones closely fitted without the use of mortar.

Etymology
From Latin Cyclopeus, from Greek Kyklops (Cyclops), from kyklos (circle) + ops (eye). Cyclops were a race of savage one-eyed giants in Greek mythology. They forged thunderbolts for Zeus in return for their freedom. Cyclopean walls were attributed to them for their strength in building such massive walls

Cyclops pictures: images.google.com/images?q=cyclops. A cyclopean wall: www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~ajm/Pages/cyclopean.htm.

Usage
"Unlike the Tate Modern, which cleared out all its cyclopean turbines and boilers, the Wapping Project has retained as much as is sensible." — Hugh Pearman; Power for the People; Sunday Times (London, UK); Oct 8, 2000.

"The stones of the arch have been replaced, but there are still the huge original cyclopean slabs at the base." — Barry Unsworth; Volterra's Past Speaks In Its Stones; The New York Times; Mar 31, 2002.


Architecture: Cyclopean
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1. Describing prehistoric masonry, made of huge stone blocks laid without mortar.
2. Megalithic.

Cyclopean, 1 wall


Archaeology Dictionary: cyclopean
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(cyclopean masonry/cyclopean architecture) [De]

A style of construction often applied to walls built not of ashlar masonry however big the blocks, but of large boulders of a size which called for giants to handle them, and with interstices filled up with small stones. Typical of early Mycenaean walls.

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: Cyclopean
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Cyclopean (sīkləpē'ən), name often applied to a primitive method of prehistoric masonry construction, found throughout Greece, Italy, and the Middle East. The term is derived from Cyclopes, the mythological beings who were supposed to have built walls in this manner. The Cyclopean technique involves the use of huge, irregular boulders, carefully fitted together without the use of mortar, thereby creating a massive wall with an uneven face. These walls were characteristic of Mycenaean civilization. Remaining examples are found at Knossos, Mycenae, Tiryns, and Athens. There are many Cyclopean walls in Etruscan and Anatolian architecture. Somewhat similar examples are seen in China, Japan, and Peru.


Translations: Cyclopean
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Dansk (Danish)
adj. - lavet af kampestensblokke, kyklop-

Nederlands (Dutch)
cyclopisch

Français (French)
adj. - cyclopéen

Deutsch (German)
adj. - zyklopisch, gigantisch

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - κυκλώπειος

Italiano (Italian)
ciclopico

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - ciclópico

Русский (Russian)
циклопический

Español (Spanish)
adj. - ciclópeo

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - kyklopisk, jättelik

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
独眼巨人的, 巨石堆积的

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 獨眼巨人的, 巨石堆積的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 키클롭스(외눈의 거인)의, 외눈의, 거대한

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 巨大な, 片目の

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) ضخم جدا‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮ענקי‬


 
 
Learn More
cyclopic
cycloposine
pudding stone

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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wordsmith Words. © 2009 Wordsmith.org. All rights reserved.  Read more
Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Architecture. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Archaeology Dictionary. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology. Copyright © 2002, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/ Read more
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