obelisk
Americannoun
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a tapering, four-sided shaft of stone, usually monolithic and having a pyramidal apex.
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something resembling such a shaft.
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an obelus.
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Printing. dagger.
noun
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a stone pillar having a square or rectangular cross section and sides that taper towards a pyramidal top, often used as a monument in ancient Egypt
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printing another name for dagger
Other Word Forms
- obeliscal adjective
- obeliskoid adjective
Etymology
Origin of obelisk
1540–50; < Latin obeliscus < Greek obelískos small spit, equivalent to obel ( ós ) spit, pointed pillar + -iskos diminutive suffix
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She set off down a shadowed path, wandering alone past obelisks, stone angels, and granite buildings in this city of the dead.
From Literature
Despite having built an obelisk of skulls, Dr. Kelson is one of the few remaining uninfected who has lost neither his reason nor his soul.
Tour the Smithsonian Gem Collection whenever you want with this book on the histories of the Star of Asia sapphire, the Dom Pedro Aquamarine obelisk and the Hope Diamond.
Idly she tapped the obelisk clock with the handle of her teaspoon.
From Literature
They were digging a hole in the top of the hill for the bottom of the obelisk to gently slide into.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
