obelisk
Meaninglittle spit or pointed pillar
Common meaning: a tall, tapering, four-sided stone pillar
- obelisklittle spit or pointed pillarSkeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), p. 399 · scan
Journey through time
- Greekobeliskos‘little spit or pointed pillar’source
- Latinobeliscus‘pointed pillar’source
- Old Frenchmeaning shiftspointed pillar → an obeliskeobelisque‘an obeliske’source
- Englishmeaning shiftsan obeliske → a tall, tapering, four-sided stone pillarobelisk‘a tall, tapering, four-sided stone pillar’ · today
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: not available. Respelling: generated.
- US IPA: not available. Respelling: generated.
Origin: Built on Greek obeliskos ‘little spit or pointed pillar’.
Roots
- obeliskos Greek “little spit or pointed pillar”
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