A rocky cliff may be described as rupestrian, meaning “composed of rock,” but the adjective is also used for things that are inscribed on rock. You may find examples of rupestrian art or writing at an archaeological site, and you could also see rupestrian writing on a monument made of granite or marble. The word comes from the New Latin “rupestris,” composed of the Latin “rupes,” meaning “rock,” and the suffix “-estris,” which is related to “terrestris,” meaning “related to earth.” It’s also related to the Latin “rumpere,” meaning “to break.”