pyramids

Noun

pyramid (countable and uncountable, plural pyramids)

1. An ancient massive construction with a square or rectangular base and four triangular sides meeting in an apex, such as those built as tombs in Egypt or as bases for temples in Mesoamerica.
2. A construction in the shape of a pyramid, usually with a square or rectangular base.
   • [T]he owners of Doddington Hall, in Lincolnshire, have brought the folly into the 21st century, by building a 30ft pyramid in the grounds of the Elizabethan manor.2014 September 7, “Doddington's garden pyramid is a folly good show: The owners of a Lincolnshire stately home have brought the folly into the 21st century, by building a 30ft pyramid [print edition...
3. A solid with triangular lateral faces and a polygonal (often square or rectangular) base.
4. (broadly) Any structure or diagram with many members at the bottom and progressively fewer towards the top.
   • The company was organized as a pyramid, with a CEO in charge of four directors, each heading up a department.
5. A medullary pyramid, the medial-most bumps on the ventral side of the medulla oblongata
6. (UK, dated) The game of pool in which the balls are placed in the form of a triangle at spot.

See all 15 meanings of pyramid