Mycenaean

adjective

My·​ce·​nae·​an ˌmī-sə-ˈnē-ən How to pronounce Mycenaean (audio)
variants or less commonly Mycenian
mī-ˈsē-nē-ən How to pronounce Mycenaean (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or characteristic of Mycenae, its people, or the period (1400 to 1100 b.c.) of Mycenae's political ascendancy
2
: characteristic of the Bronze Age Mycenaean culture of the eastern Mediterranean area
Mycenaean noun

Examples of Mycenaean in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
During Greece’s Mycenaean age, determining whether or not someone was falling in love required little decryption. — Serena Coady, Glamour, 19 Sep. 2024 Egypt’s hieroglyphs and the Mycenaean script known as Linear B were also notoriously indecipherable—until the Rosetta Stone and a British genius produced working keys. — Ariel Sabar, The Atlantic, 8 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Mycenaean was in 1598

Rhymes for Mycenaean

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Cite this Entry

“Mycenaean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Mycenaean. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.

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