pediment

[ ped-uh-muhnt ]

noun

1. (in classical architecture) a low gable, typically triangular with a horizontal cornice and raking cornices, surmounting a colonnade, an end wall, or a major division of a façade.
2. any imitation of this, often fancifully treated, used to crown an opening, a monument, etc., or to form part of a decorative scheme.
3. Geology. a gently sloping rock surface at the foot of a steep slope, as of a mountain, usually thinly covered with alluvium.

pediment

/ ˈpɛdɪmənt /

noun

1. a low-pitched gable, esp one that is triangular, as used in classical architecture
2. a gently sloping rock surface, formed through denudation under arid conditions

pediment

/ pĕd′ə-mənt /

1. A broad, gently sloping rock surface at the base of a steeper slope such as a mountain, often covered with alluvium. Pediments are formed through the exposure of bedrock by erosional processes, such as the flow of water. Pediments are usually found in arid regions where there is little vegetation to hold the overlying soil.

Derived Forms

• ˌpediˈmental, adjective

Other Words From

• ped·i·men·tal [ped-, uh, -, men, -tl], adjective
• ped·i·ment·ed [ped, -, uh, -men-tid, -m, uh, n-], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pediment¹

1655–65; earlier pedament, pedement, alteration, by association with Latin pēs (stem ped- ) foot, of earlier peremint, perhaps an unlearned alteration of pyramid; pediment ( def 3 ) by construal as pedi- + -ment

Word History and Origins

Origin of pediment¹

C16: from obsolete periment, perhaps workman's corruption of pyramid

Example Sentences

Easy to carve and freely split in any direction without shattering, the stone was commonly used throughout Virginia for pediments, quoins and other decorative details in 18th-century houses and churches.

From Washington Post

In the carving, the temple is depicted with a classical pediment front and a colonnade of columns supporting the structure.

From The Daily Beast

Over each compartment is a pediment decorated in the centre with shields.

From Project Gutenberg

Over the central door are small figures in bas-relief, and in the pediment above one reads, 131 "Ici fut la Maison de Molire."

From Project Gutenberg

Then, at the query, an unkempt, illclad lassie slipped from her stool and leaned out over the pediment of a tomb.

From Project Gutenberg

The arch is composed of two unequal segments of a circle, which form a sort of natural pediment.

From Project Gutenberg

There is a two-necked stone eagle (the Barbaro crest), with a copper crown, in the centre of the pediment.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• basement
• bed
• floor
• ground
• seat
• underside