tell

tell (archaeological mound)

noun TEL Rare

Origin: Arabic tall (hill, mound)

Usage Note

Tell is an archaeological term borrowed from Arabic, referring to an artificial mound formed by the accumulated remains of ancient settlements, common in the Middle East. It appears in French academic and journalistic contexts related to archaeology. It is an invariable masculine noun.

Examples

"Les archéologues ont fouillé ce tell pendant des années."

Natural Translation

Archaeologists excavated this tell for years.

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