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Synonyms

pediment

American  
[ped-uh-muhnt] / ˈpɛd ə mənt /

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 British  
/ 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

"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
pediment Scientific  
/ 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.

Other Word Forms

  • pedimental adjective
  • pedimented adjective

Etymology

Origin of pediment

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

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.

Her casket will be carried up the steps in front of the court, passing under the iconic words engraved on the pediment, “Equal Justice Under Law,” and placed in the court’s Great Hall.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 17, 2023

Unfortunately for the cause of intelligent discourse, his statement was erected upon a pediment of lies.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 29, 2023

Still, I wept inside as the old pediment was chiseled off the house.

From Washington Post • Sep. 12, 2021

It was a hint of pediment — a pedihint.

From Washington Post • Sep. 12, 2021

Ahead of them a sloping lawn rose directly out of the floodwater and led smoothly up to the white facade of the house, the columns and the pediment.

From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman

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.