Plural of dolmen; ancient stone structures consisting of large upright stones supporting a flat stone roof, typically used as burial chambers in prehistoric times.
From Breton dol (table) + men (stone), dating to medieval Breton descriptions of these mysterious structures that predated recorded history.
When 19th-century archaeologists couldn't figure out who built dolmens or why, they created this Breton word rather than admit defeat—basically inventing a name for something they didn't understand.
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