Petroglyphs (also called rock engravings) are pictogram and logogram images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, and abrading. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions of the technique to refer to such images. Petroglyphs are found world-wide, and are often associated with prehistoric peoples. The word comes from the Greek words petro-, theme. "Petra" meaning "stone", and "glyphein" meaning "to carve".
In the Hawaiian language, petroglyphs are called ki'i pohaku – ki'‘i meaning "image" or "picture" and pohaku meaning "stone."