obelisk
See also: Obelisk
English
editEtymology
editFrom Middle French obelisque, from Latin obeliscus (“obelisk”), from Ancient Greek ὀβελίσκος (obelískos), diminutive of ὀβελός (obelós, “needle”). Compare obelus.
Pronunciation
editNoun
editobelisk (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
editRegarding 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
editSynonyms
editHypernyms
edit- (architecture): needle
Meronyms
edit- (architecture): pyramidion
Derived terms
editTranslations
edittall, square, tapered, stone monolith topped with a pyramidal point
|
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
editVerb
editobelisk (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
editEtymology
editBorrowed from French obélisque, from Middle French obelisque, from Latin obeliscus (“obelisk”), from Ancient Greek ὀβελίσκος (obelískos), diminutive of ὀβελός (obelós, “needle”).
Pronunciation
editNoun
editobelisk m inan
- (architecture) obelisk (tall, square, tapered, stone monolith topped with a pyramidal point)
Declension
editDeclension 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
editadjective
Further reading
editSerbo-Croatian
editPronunciation
editNoun
editobèlisk m (Cyrillic spelling обѐлиск)
Declension
editDeclension 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
editPronunciation
editNoun
editobelisk c
- an obelisk
Declension
editDeclension of obelisk | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | Plural | |||
Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
Nominative | obelisk | obelisken | obelisker | obeliskerna |
Genitive | obelisks | obeliskens | obeliskers | obeliskernas |
References
editCategories:
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *gʷelH-
- English terms derived from Middle French
- English terms derived from Latin
- English terms derived from Ancient Greek
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- en:Architecture
- English terms with quotations
- en:Typography
- English terms with historical senses
- English verbs
- en:Entomology
- Polish terms borrowed from French
- Polish terms derived from French
- Polish terms derived from Middle French
- Polish terms derived from Latin
- Polish terms derived from Ancient Greek
- Polish 3-syllable words
- Polish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Polish terms with audio links
- Rhymes:Polish/ɛlisk
- Rhymes:Polish/ɛlisk/3 syllables
- Polish lemmas
- Polish nouns
- Polish masculine nouns
- Polish inanimate nouns
- pl:Architecture
- Serbo-Croatian terms with IPA pronunciation
- Serbo-Croatian lemmas
- Serbo-Croatian nouns
- Serbo-Croatian masculine nouns
- sh:Architecture
- Swedish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:Swedish/ɪsk
- Rhymes:Swedish/ɪsk/2 syllables
- Swedish lemmas
- Swedish nouns
- Swedish common-gender nouns
- sv:Heraldic charges