Oghamic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A writing system marked by distinct notches used in ancient inscriptions, often linked to Celtic languages and discovered in regions like Ireland and Britain
2. An ancient script recognized for its unique notch patterns on materials such as wood or stone, prevalent among Celtic cultures in historical contexts
3. A historical alphabet characterized by its incised markings used in early Irish and British inscriptions, often associated with the Druids and Celtic mythology

Etymology: Ogham is the early Irish alphabet, written in strokes cut across or along a central line, which gives its letters the look of notches. The script is thought to date from roughly the 4th to 6th centuries CE and survives mainly on standing stones, where it records short inscriptions, often personal names. The name "Ogham" itself is the source of this adjective, which is simply that noun with the suffix "-ic" attached, the common English ending that turns a noun into a description of something belonging to or resembling it, much as "Celtic" relates to the Celts. So "oghamic" describes anything connected with that script: an inscription, a stone, a letter form, or a manuscript passage written in it. Because the script is carved rather than written with ink, the word tends to appear in archaeological and palaeographic writing, where it distinguishes these stone texts from later Irish manuscripts written in the Roman alphabet.