obelisk

[ob-uh-lisk]

See more synonyms for obelisk on Thesaurus.com

noun

a tapering, four-sided shaft of stone, usually monolithic and having a pyramidal apex.
something resembling such a shaft.
an obelus.

Printing. dagger(def 2).

Origin of obelisk

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

Related formsob·e·lis·cal, adjectiveob·e·lis·koid, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for obelisk

shaft, dagger, column, pillar, needle, mark, monument, monolith, tower, pylon

Examples from the Web for obelisk

Contemporary Examples of obelisk

After years of negotiations and a tough journey, the obelisk was planted at the Place de la Concorde.
The Nile: Where Ancient and Modern Meet
William O’Connor
June 21, 2014
On the top of the obelisk is a 100-ounce aluminum cap, which acts as a lightning rod.
Weird Washington Monument History
William O’Connor
May 12, 2014

Historical Examples of obelisk

If a pyramid or obelisk mould, lift it carefully off the top.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
My blue-eyed friend erected himself into an obelisk of profanity.
American Notes
Rudyard Kipling
Heliopolis is the "house of the obelisk," the obelisk being a representation of the sun.
History of Religion
Allan Menzies
It went up the Nile as near to the place where the obelisk stood as it could go.
Rollo in Paris
Jacob Abbott
Then they made a road leading from the place where the obelisk stood to the river.
Rollo in Paris
Jacob Abbott

British Dictionary definitions for obelisk

obelisk

noun

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
printing another name for dagger (def. 2)

Derived Formsobeliscal, adjectiveobeliskoid, adjective

Word Origin for obelisk

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for obelisk

"rectangular stone column tapering at the top," 1560s, from Middle French obélisque (16c.) and directly from Latin obeliscus "obelisk, small spit," from Greek obeliskos "small spit, obelisk, leg of a compass," diminutive of obelos "a spit, pointed pillar, needle." Related: Obeliskine.