Link Centre Dictionary

pyramid

py·ra·mid

US/ˈpɪɹ.ə.mɪd/ fairly common uk
verb (4) noun (3)

verb

1.

enlarge one''s holdings on an exchange on a continued rise by using paper profits as margin to buy additional amounts

2.

use or deal in (as of stock or commercial transaction) in a pyramid deal

3.

arrange or build up as if on the base of a pyramid

4.

noun

1.

a polyhedron having a polygonal base and triangular sides with a common vertex

2.

(stock market) a series of transactions in which the speculator increases his holdings by using the rising market value of those holdings as margin for further purchases

3.

a massive memorial with a square base and four triangular sides; built as royal tombs in ancient Egypt

Synonyms

Origin

From French pyramide, from Old French piramide, from Latin pȳramis, pȳramidis, from Ancient Greek πῡραμίς (pūramís), possibly from πῡρός (pūrós, “wheat”) + ἀμάω (amáō, “reap”) or from Egyptian pr-m-ws (“height of a pyramid”), from pr (“(one that) comes forth”) + m (“from”) + ws (“height”). Schenkel and K. Lang proposed hypothetical Coptic *ⲡⲓⲣⲁⲙ (*piram) or *ⲫⲣⲁⲙ (*phram) derived from Egyptian mr via metathesis as a source of πῡραμίς (pūramís) while Schenkel also suggested it being the source of Arabic هَرَم (haram) although the latter is considered far-fetched by Takacs.

Phrases

  • earth pyramid
  • ecological pyramid
  • food pyramid
  • Freytag's pyramid
  • Gaussian pyramid
  • human pyramid
  • inverted pyramid
  • Laplacian pyramid
  • pyramid down
  • pyramid up

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.