Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A Neolithic or Bronze Age structure found in the British Isles, consisting of a large circular earthwork often enclosing an arrangement of standing stones, wooden posts, mounds, or burial pits.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A Middle English form of hinge.
  • noun The heart, liver, and lights of an animal.
  • noun See the extract.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A prehistoric enclosure in the form of a circle or circular arc defined by a raised circular bank and a circular ditch usually running inside the bank, with one or more entrances leading into the enclosed open space.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Back-formation from Stonehenge.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Back-formation from Stonehenge, although it is not strictly a henge.

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Examples

  • The new "henge" - which means a circular monument dating to Neolithic and Bronze Ages - is situated about 900m (2,950ft) from the giant stones on Salisbury Plain.

    BBC News | News Front Page | UK Edition 2010

  • A henge is a roughly circular flat area surrounded by a ditch and a bank of earth, sometimes with a ring of stones or wooden posts within the circular ditch.

    Kiwis Cop Stonehenge's Star Buzz 2004

  • The second henge, which is thought to be a ceremonial monument, is about 900m from the ancient stones on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire.

    Yahoo! News: Latest news headlines News Headlines | Top Stories 2010

  • The word 'henge' dates back at least to Saxon times and means something hanging or suspended.

    BBC (UK) Homepage main promotional content 2009

  • The Tanuki in folklore is a shapeshifter, one of the creatures known as 'henge' in Japan.

    IGN Complete 2008

  • Three rows, four rows, five—the destroyers formed a steaming henge before Big Snaff.

    GuildWars Edge of Destiny J. Robert King 2011

  • Situated by the northern bank of the river Aire, the verdant building (which actually looks more like a hedge than a henge) is an eye-popping addition to the area.

    Harsh Paul | Inhabitat 2010

  • Three rows, four rows, five—the destroyers formed a steaming henge before Big Snaff.

    GuildWars Edge of Destiny J. Robert King 2011

  • Three rows, four rows, five—the destroyers formed a steaming henge before Big Snaff.

    GuildWars Edge of Destiny J. Robert King 2011

  • Three rows, four rows, five—the destroyers formed a steaming henge before Big Snaff.

    GuildWars Edge of Destiny J. Robert King 2011

  • It follows a married English nurse named Claire Randall, who, in 1946, by way of a ring of enchanted stones (known as a henge) in the Scottish Highlands, is transported back to the 18th century.

    Six Books of Truly Epic Secret History David Mack 2020

  • In July, Mr Murphy captured an image of a henge, or a circular enclosure, at the Unesco World Heritage site close Newgrange in Co Meath while flying his drone over the area.

    Google Earth images show 50 undiscovered ancient monuments Sorcha Pollak 2019

Comments

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  • The Century Dictionary has "2. The heart, liver, and lights of an animal."

    October 20, 2010