pediment

[ ped-uh-muhnt ]
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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.

  1. Geology. a gently sloping rock surface at the foot of a steep slope, as of a mountain, usually thinly covered with alluvium.

Origin of pediment

1
1655–65; earlier pedament, pedement, alteration, by association with Latin pēs (stem ped-) foot, of earlier peremint, perhaps an unlearned alteration of pyramid; (def. 3) by construal as pedi- + -ment

Other words from pediment

  • ped·i·men·tal [ped-uh-men-tl], /ˌpɛd əˈmɛn tl/, adjective
  • ped·i·ment·ed [ped-uh-men-tid, -muhn-], /ˈpɛd əˌmɛn tɪd, -mən-/, adjective

Words Nearby pediment

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use pediment in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pediment

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

Origin of pediment

1
C16: from obsolete periment, perhaps workman's corruption of pyramid

Derived forms of pediment

  • pedimental, adjective

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

Scientific definitions for pediment

pediment

[ pĕdə-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.

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