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pyramid

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pyramid¹

  • /ˈpɪɹ.ə.mɪd/ Canada, US, UK
  • /ˈpɪɹ.ə.məd/

Where it comes from

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.

noun pyramids · piramis · pyramis

  1. countable, uncountable An ancient massive construction with a square or rectangular base and four triangular sides meeting in an apex, such as those built as tombs in Egypt or as bases for temples in Mesoamerica.
  2. countable, uncountable A construction in the shape of a pyramid, usually with a square or rectangular base. [T]he owners of Doddington Hall, in Lincolnshire, have brought the folly into the 21st century, by building a 30ft pyramid in the grounds of the Elizabethan manor.
  3. countable, uncountable A solid with triangular lateral faces and a polygonal (often square or rectangular) base.
  4. broadly, countable, uncountable Any structure or diagram with many members at the bottom and progressively fewer towards the top. The company was organized as a pyramid, with a CEO in charge of four directors, each heading up a department.
  5. countable, uncountable A medullary pyramid, the medial-most bumps on the ventral side of the medulla oblongata
  6. UK, countable, dated, uncountable The game of pool in which the balls are placed in the form of a triangle at spot.
  7. countable, uncountable A pyramid scheme.
  8. uncountable Alternative letter-case form of Pyramid. (a solitaire card game)
  9. countable, uncountable The triangular layout of cards in the game of Pyramid. Build your pyramid with all cards face down, except the cards in the bottom row.
  10. countable, uncountable An approximately triangular headline consisting of several centered lines of text of increasing length. […] with a cross-line banner, a set of two-column pyramids beneath it in the middle, and on each side of these exactly the same thing,—something between a headline and a story—"$50,000 Reward for—" etc.

verb pyramids · pyramiding · pyramided · piramis · pyramis

  1. To build up or be arranged in the form of a pyramid. The paint was stacked in neatly pyramided lots along the concrete floor.
  2. transitive To combine (a series of genes) into a single genotype.
  3. intransitive To employ, or take part in, a pyramid scheme.
  4. To engage in pyramid trading. Multiply this by the number of shares you traded, and add other positions if you pyramided.
  5. dated To increase to or towards a peak.

Pyramid²

proper noun pyramid

  1. A solitaire card game where the cards are arranged as a triangle (a "pyramid") and the object is to get the cards from the bottom to the top.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: funnel, chain, structure, top, profile, age, hierarchy, hierarchical, tetrahedron, monument, tomb, mausoleum, ziggurat, mastaba, mound, cairn

Translations

Every language

noun ancient construction

Españolpirámide
한국어피라미드 piramideu, 금자탑 geumjatap
日本語ピラミッド piramiddo, 金字塔 kinjitō
中文金字塔 jīnzìtǎ
हिन्दीपिरमिड pirmiḍ, पिरामिड pirāmiḍ, पीरामिड pīrāmiḍ, अहराम ahrām
Kiswahilipiramidi, haram
Portuguêspirâmide
Françaispyramide
DeutschPyramide
Italianopiramide
Ελληνικάπυραμίδα pyramída
Românăpiramidă
Русскийпирами́да piramída
Tiếng Việtkim tự tháp
العربيةهَرَم haram
עבריתפִּירָמִידָה piramída

noun construction

Españolpirámide
中文金字塔 jīnzìtǎ
Kiswahilipiramidi
Portuguêspirâmide
Françaispyramide
Italianopiramide
Ελληνικάπυραμίδα pyramída
Русскийпирами́да piramída
العربيةهَرَم haram
עבריתפִּירָמִידָה piramída

noun in geometry, a solid with triangular lateral faces and a polygonal base

Españolpirámide
한국어각뿔 gakppul
日本語角錐 kakusui
中文角錐 /角锥 jiǎozhuī
हिन्दीपिरैमिड piraimiḍ
Kiswahilipiramidi
Portuguêspirâmide
Françaispyramide
DeutschPyramide
Italianopiramide
Ελληνικάπυραμίδα pyramída
Românăpiramidă
Русскийпирами́да piramída
Tiếng Việtkim tự tháp
العربيةهَرَم haram, أَهْرَام ʔahrām
עבריתפִּירָמִידָה piramída

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Cite this
MLA

"pyramid." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/pyramid. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

pyramid. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/pyramid

Chicago

"pyramid." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/pyramid.

BibTeX
@misc{pyramid_2026,
  title = {pyramid},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/pyramid},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}