kistvaen, cistvaen Archæol.
(ˈkɪstvaɪn)
[Anglicized spelling of Welsh cist faen, i.e. cist chest, cist + faen (pron. vaen) aspirated form of maen stone.]
= cist 1.
| 1715 Pennecuik Wks. (1815) 121 (E.D.D.), In trenching the ground for a garden was discovered another tomb, kisti-vaen..of five flags, without an urn, or any remains of bones. 1807 G. Chalmers Caledonia I. i. ii. 84 Among the varieties, in the manner of burial,..the Cistvaen is remarkable. 1827 G. Higgins Celtic Druids 217 In the Welsh language called Kist-vaens, or stone-chests. 1842 Brande Dict. Sci., Lit. etc. s.v., Cistvaens are commonly three stones placed on edge, like the three sides of a box, with a stone cover. 1881 Athenæum No. 2826. 857 The great megalithic forms of interment, consisting of kistvaens, or sepulchral underground chambers, formed of four huge slabs, covered with an immense capstone. |