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

---

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

Explanation

A pediment is a detail on a building or house — it's the triangular piece just under a pointed roof. Many classical Greek buildings have a pediment at the top, often above a row of columns. A classic pediment sits above the horizontal moulding (known as an entablature) above a window or door, which is usually supported by columns. This is true in many classical buildings, like the Greek Parthenon. You can see pediments even in relatively modern homes too, mainly in the form of a triangle or half-circle shape above a door or window. These pediments are decorative, while the originals were structural.

Example Sentences

He belongs in Athens, in the Acropolis Museum, anchoring the West Pediment of the Parthenon.

From The New Yorker • Nov. 22, 2019

The part which projects from the middle95 is adorn'd with four Columns, and has a large Pediment at the end of it.

From The Memoirs of Charles-Lewis, Baron de Pollnitz, Volume III Being the Observations He Made in His Late Travels from Prussia thro' Germany, Italy, France, Flanders, Holland, England, &C. in Letters to His Friend. Discovering Not Only the Present State of the Chief Cities and Towns; but the Characters of the Principal Persons at the Several Courts. by P?llnitz, Karl Ludwig von

The Part which projects from the principal Front, is terminated by a Pediment, which is a grand Piece of Sculpture.

From The Memoirs of Charles-Lewis, Baron de Pollnitz, Volume II Being the Observations He Made in His Late Travels From Prussia thro' Germany, Italy, France, Flanders, Holland, England, &C. in Letters to His Friend. Discovering Not Only the Present State of the Chief Cities and Towns; but the Characters of the Principal Persons at the Several Courts. by P?llnitz, Karl Ludwig von

The Pediment of the principal Front was to my mind well fancy'd.

From The Memoirs of Charles-Lewis, Baron de Pollnitz, Volume III Being the Observations He Made in His Late Travels from Prussia thro' Germany, Italy, France, Flanders, Holland, England, &C. in Letters to His Friend. Discovering Not Only the Present State of the Chief Cities and Towns; but the Characters of the Principal Persons at the Several Courts. by P?llnitz, Karl Ludwig von

Pediment of a Roman temple found at Bath.

From A Student's History of England, v. 1 (of 3) From the earliest times to the Death of King Edward VII by Gardiner, Samuel Rawson

Related Words

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