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ziggurat

[zig-oo-rat]
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noun
  1. (among the ancient Babylonians and Assyrians) a temple of Sumerian origin in the form of a pyramidal tower, consisting of a number of stories and having about the outside a broad ascent winding round the structure, presenting the appearance of a series of terraces.
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Also zik·ku·rat, zik·u·rat [zik-oo-rat] /ˈzɪk ʊˌræt/.

Origin of ziggurat

First recorded in 1875–80, ziggurat is from the Akkadian word ziqquratu
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for ziggurat

Historical Examples

  • But the things that took place on the ziggurat were invisible to them.

    Istar of Babylon

    Margaret Horton Potter

  • This is the first known mention of the "horns" of a ziggurat, and the exact meaning of the word is doubtful.

  • Near this arose the ziggurat or tower, and many smaller buildings, not unlike private dwellings.

  • The ziggurat at Borsippa had a base of earthwork 272 feet on each side, and was 26 feet high.

  • Every important city had its temple, and attached to its temple its ziggurat, which was a temple-observatory.

    Human Origins

    Samuel Laing

British Dictionary definitions for ziggurat

ziggurat

zikkurat or zikurat (ˈzɪkʊˌræt)

noun
  1. a type of rectangular temple tower or tiered mound erected by the Sumerians, Akkadians, and Babylonians in Mesopotamia. The tower of Babel is thought to be one of these
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Word Origin

C19: from Assyrian ziqqurati summit, height
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 ziggurat

n.

1858, from Assyrian ziqquratu "height, pinnacle," from zaqaru "to be high."

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper