Stelae
/ˈstiːliː/noun
Plural of stela: carved upright stone slabs used as monuments or markers.
Did you know?In ancient Greece, stelae often carried names, laws, prayers, or funerary curses, turning stone into a permanent spell against forgetting.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*steh₂-
“to stand, set upright”
Ancient Greek
Greek
στήλη (stḗlē)
“a standing stone slab, pillar, or monument”
Latin
Latin
stēla
“a pillar or upright slab”
Late Latin
Latin
stela
“a monument or commemorative upright stone”
Middle English
English
stele
“an upright stone slab or monument”
Modern English
English
stelae
“plural of stele, especially in archaeology and history”