pyramid
n. countablen. a large stone building with a square base and four triangular sides that meet at a point. You usually see these in places like Egypt where they were built for kings.
n. a monumental structure with a square or polygonal base and sloping sides that meet in an apex. Often associated with ancient funerary architecture, particularly in Egypt and Mesoamerica.
The Great Pyramid is a famous landmark in Egypt.
Archaeologists are using new technology to look for hidden rooms inside the ancient stone pyramid.
The architectural precision of the pyramid suggests a sophisticated understanding of geometry and celestial alignment among the ancient builders who designed it.
From French pyramide, from Old French piramide, from Latin pȳramis, pȳramidis, from Ancient Greek πῡραμίς (pūramís), possibly from πῡρός (pūrós, “wheat”) + ἀμάω (amáō, “reap”) or from Egyptian pr-m-ws (“height of a pyramid”), from pr (“(one that) comes forth”) + m (“from”) + ws (“height”). Schenkel and K. Lang proposed hypothetical Coptic ⲡⲓⲣⲁⲙ (piram) or ⲫⲣⲁⲙ (phram) derived from Egyptian mr via metathesis as a source of πῡραμίς (pūramís) while Schenkel also suggested it being the source of Arabic هَرَم (haram) although the latter is considered far-fetched by Takacs.
Often used metaphorically to describe a hierarchical social or organizational structure.