Hünengrab

From Upper German place names such as ze Húnengrebern, an Húnungreber weg from the 14th and 15th centuries. The word has been used as a general term for megalithic graves since the 16th century, chiefly in northern Germany.^[1] Into the 17th century, it was believed by some that these were literally the graves of giants.^[2]

By surface analysis, Hüne ("giant") + Grab ("grave; tomb").

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Hünengrab n (strong, genitive Hünengrabes or Hünengrabs, plural Hünengräber)

1. dolmen (megalithic tomb)
   • 1827, Friedrich Nösselt, Lehrbuch der Weltgeschichte für Töchterschulen und zum Privatunterricht heranwachsender Mädchen:

     Daher pflegte man auch, wenn der Mann ſtarb, ſein Lieblingspferd zu ſchlachten, und mit ihm in die Erde zu legen. Davon iſt es gekommen, daß man ſonſt wohl, wenn man in den alten heidniſchen Graͤbern uͤbermenſchlich große Knochen fand, glaubte, daß da Rieſen begraben laͤgen, und ein ſolches Grab ein Rieſen- oder Huͤnengrab nannte, deren es noch viele, beſonders im noͤrdlichen Deutſchland, giebt.

     For this reason, when a man died, it was custom to slaughter his favourite horse and bury it with him. This is why, when inhumanly large bones were found in heathen graves, it was believed that giants were buried there, and such a grave was called giant's grave, of which there are still many, especially in northern Germany.

• “Hünengrab” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache