obelisk
See also: Obelisk
English edit
Etymology edit
From Middle French obelisque, from Latin obeliscus (“obelisk”), from Ancient Greek ὀβελίσκος (obelískos), diminutive of ὀβελός (obelós, “needle”). Doublet of obelus.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
obelisk (plural obelisks)
- (architecture) A tall, square, tapered, stone monolith topped with a pyramidal point, frequently used as a monument. [from mid 16th c.]
- 2012 January, Henry Petroski, “The Washington Monument”, in American Scientist[1], volume 100, number 1, page 16:
- The Washington Monument is often described as an obelisk, and sometimes even as a "true obelisk," even though it is not. A true obelisk is a monolith, a pylon formed out of a single piece of stone.
- (typography) Synonym of obelus
- (historical) A symbol resembling a horizontal line (–), sometimes together with one or two dots (for example, ⨪ or ÷), which was used in ancient manuscripts and texts to mark a word or passage as doubtful or spurious, or redundant.
- A dagger symbol (†), which is used in printed matter as a reference mark to refer the reader to a footnote, marginal note, etc.; beside a person's name to indicate that the person is deceased; or beside a date to indicate that it is a person's death date.
Usage notes edit
Regarding sense 2, obelus was used in Middle English, but thereafter was displaced by obelisk until the 19th century when both words began to be used with equal regularity.[1]
Alternative forms edit
Synonyms edit
Hypernyms edit
- (architecture): needle
Meronyms edit
- (architecture): pyramidion
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
tall, square, tapered, stone monolith topped with a pyramidal point
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symbol used in ancient manuscripts and texts to mark a word or passage as doubtful or spurious, or redundant — see obelus
dagger symbol — see also dagger
See also edit
Verb edit
obelisk (third-person singular simple present obelisks, present participle obelisking, simple past and past participle obelisked)
- (entomology, of a dragonfly) To adopt the obelisk posture; to point the tip of the abdomen towards the sun.
- 2004, Cynthia Berger, Dragonflies[2]:
- Dragonflies that spend the day in full sun may obelisk to minimize the sunlight striking the body. An obelisking dragonfly looks like it's doing a headstand […]
References edit
- ^ “obelisk, n.”, in OED Online
, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, March 2004; “obelisk, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
Polish edit
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Etymology edit
Borrowed from French obélisque, from Middle French obelisque, from Latin obeliscus (“obelisk”), from Ancient Greek ὀβελίσκος (obelískos), diminutive of ὀβελός (obelós, “needle”).
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
obelisk m inan
- (architecture) obelisk (tall, square, tapered, stone monolith topped with a pyramidal point)
Declension edit
Declension of obelisk
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | obelisk | obeliski |
| genitive | obelisku | obelisków |
| dative | obeliskowi | obeliskom |
| accusative | obelisk | obeliski |
| instrumental | obeliskiem | obeliskami |
| locative | obelisku | obeliskach |
| vocative | obelisku | obeliski |
Derived terms edit
adjective
Further reading edit
Serbo-Croatian edit
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
obèlisk m (Cyrillic spelling обѐлиск)
Declension edit
Declension of obelisk
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | obèlisk | obèlisci |
| genitive | obeliska | obèlisāka / obèliskā |
| dative | obelisku | obeliscima |
| accusative | obelisk | obeliske |
| vocative | obelišče / obelisku | obelisci |
| locative | obelisku | obeliscima |
| instrumental | obeliskom | obeliscima |
Swedish edit
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
obelisk c
Declension edit
| Declension of obelisk | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | |||
| Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
| Nominative | obelisk | obelisken | obelisker | obeliskerna |
| Genitive | obelisks | obeliskens | obeliskers | obeliskernas |