chəˈvēn adjective
Usage: usually capitalized
Etymology: from Chavín or Chavín de Huantar, town in central Peru, its type station
: of or relating to a Peruvian culture of the 1st to the 6th centuries A.D. characterized by a platform type of stone building with masonry in alternating thick and thin courses, sculpture of human, animal, and monster heads in the round and outlines on slabs, and monochrome pottery decorated in relief or by incision with feline or geometric designs