ogham

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og·ham

or og·am (ŏg′əm, ō′əm)

a. An alphabetic system of inscribed notches for vowels and lines for consonants used to write Old Irish, chiefly on the edges of memorial stones, from the fifth to the early seventh century.

b. A character used in this alphabet.

a. An inscription in the ogham alphabet.

b. A stone inscribed in the ogham alphabet.

[Irish Gaelic, from Old Irish ogom, after Ogma, name of a Celtic god; see ag- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ogham

(ˈɒɡəm; ɔːm) or

ogam

(Letters of the Alphabet (Foreign)) an ancient alphabetical writing system used by the Celts in Britain and Ireland, consisting of straight lines drawn or carved perpendicular to or at an angle to another long straight line

[C17: from Old Irish ogom, of uncertain origin but associated with the name Ogma, legendary inventor of this alphabet]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

og•ham

or og•am

(ˈɒg əm, ˈɔ gəm)

n.

1. an alphabetical script used for inscriptions in an archaic form of Irish from about the 5th to the 10th century.

2. any of the 20 characters of this script, each consisting of strokes for consonants and of notches for vowels cut across a central line on a stone or piece of wood.

[1620–30; < Irish; Middle Irish ogum]

ogham, ogam

1. an alphabetical script originally used for inscriptions in the Irish language from the 5th to the 10th centuries.
2. any of the 20 characters of this script.
3. an inscription in this script. — oghamist, ogamist, n.