obelisk

[ob-uh-lisk]

noun

1. a tapering, four-sided shaft of stone, usually monolithic and having a pyramidal apex.

2. something resembling such a shaft.

3. an obelus.

4. Printing.,  dagger.

obelisk

/ ˈɒbɪlɪsk /

noun

1. 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

2. printing another name for dagger

Other Word Forms

• obeliscal adjective
• obeliskoid adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of obelisk¹

1540–50; < Latin obeliscus < Greek obelískos small spit, equivalent to obel ( ós ) spit, pointed pillar + -iskos diminutive suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of obelisk¹

C16: via Latin from Greek obeliskos a little spit, from obelos spit

Example Sentences

Idly she tapped the obelisk clock with the handle of her teaspoon.

Read more on Literature

The pharaoh, Thutmosis III, has tasked us to carve a large obelisk out of the granite.

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In Venice, Meals was equally moved when he accidentally came upon an obelisk marking the spot where, in April 1942, more than a thousand Japanese Americans boarded buses for Manzanar.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

As an obelisk, the Washington Monument serves as a reminder of Rome’s victory over Egypt.

Read more on Salon

The rhyming of her body with this well-known obelisk, a symbol of the power invested in the first presidency, is striking.

Read more on BBC