pyramid

[ pir-uh-mid ]

noun

1. Architecture.
   1. (in ancient Egypt) a quadrilateral masonry mass having smooth, steeply sloping sides meeting at an apex, used as a tomb.
   2. (in ancient Egypt and pre-Columbian Central America) a quadrilateral masonry mass, stepped and sharply sloping, used as a tomb or a platform for a temple.
2. anything of such form.
3. a number of persons or things arranged or heaped up in this manner:

   a pyramid of acrobats; a pyramid of boxes.

4. a system or structure resembling a pyramid, as in hierarchical form.
5. Geometry. a solid having a polygonal base, and triangular sides that meet in a point.
6. Crystallography. any form the planes of which intersect all three of the axes.
7. Anatomy, Zoology. any of various parts or structures of pyramidal form.
8. pyramid scheme ( def ).
9. a tree pruned or trained to grow in conical form.
10. pyramids, (used with a singular verb) British. a form of pocket billiards for two or four players in which 15 colored balls, initially placed in the form of a triangle, are pocketed with one white cue ball.

verb (used without object)

1. to take, or become disposed in, the form of a pyramid.
2. Stock Exchange. (in speculating on margin) to enlarge one's operations in a series of transactions, as on a continued rise or decline in price, by using profits in transactions not yet closed, and consequently not yet in hand, as margin for additional buying or selling in the next transaction.
3. to increase gradually, as with the completion of each phase:

   Our problems are beginning to pyramid.

verb (used with object)

1. to arrange in the form of a pyramid.
2. to raise or increase (costs, wages, etc.) by adding amounts gradually.
3. to cause to increase at a steady and progressive rate:

   New overseas markets have pyramided the company's profits.

4. Stock Exchange. (in speculating on margin) to operate in, or employ in, pyramiding.

pyramid

/ ˈpɪrəmɪd; pɪˈræmɪdəl /

noun

1. a huge masonry construction that has a square base and, as in the case of the ancient Egyptian royal tombs, four sloping triangular sides
2. an object, formation, or structure resembling such a construction
3. maths a solid having a polygonal base and triangular sides that meet in a common vertex
4. crystallog a crystal form in which three planes intersect all three axes of the crystal
5. anatomy any pointed or cone-shaped bodily structure or part
6. finance a group of enterprises containing a series of holding companies structured so that the top holding company controls the entire group with a relatively small proportion of the total capital invested
7. the series of transactions involved in pyramiding securities
8. plural a game similar to billiards with fifteen coloured balls

verb

1. to build up or be arranged in the form of a pyramid
2. to speculate in (securities or property) by increasing purchases on additional margin or collateral derived from paper profits associated with high prices of securities and property in a boom
3. finance to form (companies) into a pyramid

Derived Forms

• pyramidal, adjective
• pyˈramidally, adverb

Other Words From

• pyr·a·mid·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pyramid¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; from Latin pȳramid- (stem of pȳramis ), from Greek pȳramís; replacing Middle English pyramis, from Latin, as above

Word History and Origins

Origin of pyramid¹

C16 (earlier pyramis ): from Latin pyramis, from Greek puramis, probably from Egyptian

Example Sentences

The iconic duo would later appear on the “$100,000 Pyramid” as a celebrity team; host their own show, “Martha and Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party,”; publish a cookbook together and co-host the Puppy Bowl.

From Salon

Breed reflected on her tenure during a lengthy sit-down interview with The Times last month outside a café at the Transamerica Pyramid.

From Los Angeles Times

On TikTok and Instagram, some of his videos rack up millions of views featuring replicas of the Titanic, the Eiffel Tower and the Great Pyramid of Giza.

From Los Angeles Times

Film star Tom Cruise, who watched the set from a VIP area at the side of the Pyramid Stage simply branded the concert "awesome".

From BBC

Ahead of Tuesday's reunion announcement, rumours swirled that Oasis could headline Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage for a third time as part of their return next summer, having previously done so in 1995 and 2004.

From BBC

Related Words

• edifice
• memorial
• monolith
• shrine
• tomb