ziggurat

[ zig-oo-rat ]

noun

1. (among the ancient Babylonians and Assyrians) a temple of Sumerian origin in the form of a pyramidal tower, consisting of a number of stories and having about the outside a broad ascent winding round the structure, presenting the appearance of a series of terraces.

ziggurat

/ ˈzɪkʊˌræt; ˈzɪɡʊˌræt /

noun

1. a type of rectangular temple tower or tiered mound erected by the Sumerians, Akkadians, and Babylonians in Mesopotamia. The tower of Babel is thought to be one of these

Word History and Origins

Origin of ziggurat¹

First recorded in 1875–80, ziggurat is from the Akkadian word ziqquratu

Word History and Origins

Origin of ziggurat¹

C19: from Assyrian ziqqurati summit, height

Example Sentences

This Bible story lent an air of defiant romance to a Southern California ziggurat that supplied grist for my childhood daydreams.

From Los Angeles Times

That geography is part of why the actual Biosphere 2 building looks so striking: Two ziggurats made of tessellated glass triangles are connected by a long, glass rectangular structure.

From Scientific American

Arquitectonica’s beachfront apartment house, the Babylon, for instance, with its multiple interwoven ziggurat wings, was condemned before it reached age 40.

From New York Times

The ziggurat's iron frame became supercharged as the bolts hit it again and again.

From Literature

“There’s also influence from Egypt, from Mesopotamia’s ziggurat architecture, from Aztec architecture and from World War II bunkers, which is the first thing Denis showed me,” Vermette says.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• architecture
• construction
• home
• house
• hut