pyramid
Noun · VerbOpen English WordNet
Verb (4)pyramids
- enlarge one's holdings on an exchange on a continued rise by using paper profits as margin to buy additional amountsMore general profit, gain
- use or deal in (as of stock or commercial transaction) in a pyramid dealMore general deal, sell
- arrange or build up as if on the base of a pyramidMore general arrange, set up
- increase rapidly and progressively step by step on a broad baseMore general increase
Noun (3)pyramids
- a massive monument with a square base and four triangular sides; begun by Cheops around 2700 BC as royal tombs in ancient EgyptSynonyms: Great Pyramid of GizaGreat PyramidPyramids of EgyptInstance of memorial, monumentMember of Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, Seven Wonders of the World
- a polyhedron having a polygonal base and triangular sides with a common vertexType of polyhedronKinds regular pyramid, square pyramid
- (stock market) a series of transactions in which the speculator increases their holdings by using the rising market value of those holdings as margin for further purchasesType of speculation, venture
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Translations
Noun ancient construction
- Spanish
- pirámide
- French
- pyramide
- German
- Pyramide
- Italian
- piramide
- Portuguese
- pirâmide
- Turkish
- piramit
- Russian
- пирами́да piramída
- Arabic
- هَرَم haram
- Chinese
- 金字塔 jīnzìtǎ
- Japanese
- ピラミッド piramiddo
33 more languages
- Dutch
- piramide
- Polish
- piramida
- Swedish
- pyramid
- Greek
- πυραμίδα pyramída
- Korean
- 피라미드 piramideu
- Indonesian
- piramida
- Vietnamese
- kim tự tháp
- Hungarian
- piramis
- Portuguese (PT)
- pirâmide
- Chinese (Trad.)
- 金字塔 jīnzìtǎ
- Albanian
- piramidë
- Catalan
- piràmide
- Czech
- pyramida
- Danish
- pyramide
- Esperanto
- piramido
- Estonian
- püramiid
- Finnish
- pyramidi
- Georgian
- პირამიდა ṗiramida
- Hebrew
- פִּירָמִידָה piramída
- Icelandic
- pýramídi
- Kurdish
- ehram
- Latvian
- piramīda
- Lithuanian
- piramidė
- Malagasy
- rirakitso
- Norwegian
- pyramide
- Romanian
- piramidă
- Scottish Gaelic
- pioramaid
- Serbo-Croatian
- piramida
- Slovak
- pyramída
- Slovenian
- piramida
- Swahili
- piramidi
- Welsh
- pyramid
- Yiddish
- פּיראַמיד piramid
The main translation for each meaning, from the langtolang.com multilingual dictionary. Each word links to its full entry there.
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: L. pyramis, -idis, fr. Gr. …, …, of Egyptian origin: cf. F. pyramide.
1. A solid body standing on a triangular, square, or polygonal base, and terminating in a point at the top; especially, a structure or edifice of this shape.
2. Geometry A solid figure contained by a plane rectilineal figure as base and several triangles which have a common vertex and whose bases are sides of the base.
3. pl. Billiards The game of pool in which the balls are placed in the form of a triangle at spot. British
4. Finance a fraudulent investment scheme in which the manager promises high profits, but instead of investing the money in a genuine profit-making activity, uses the money from later investors to pay the profits to earlier investors; — also called pyramid scheme or pyramid operation. This process inevitably collapses when insufficient new investors are available, leaving the later investors with total or near-total losses of their investments. The managers usually blame government regulations or interference for the collapse of the scheme, rather than admit fraud.
Altitude of a pyramid Geometry, the perpendicular distance from the vertex to the plane of the base. — Axis of a pyramid Geometry, a straight line drawn from the vertex to the center of the base. — Earth pyramid. Geology See Earth pillars, under Earth. — Right pyramid Geometry a pyramid whose axis is perpendicular to the base.
Speculation To enlarge one's holding or interest in a series of operations on a continued rise or decline by using the profits to buy or sell additional amounts on a margin, as where one buys on a 10% margin 100 shares of stock quoted at 100, holds it till it rises to 105, and then uses the paper profit to buy 50 shares more, etc. The series of operations constitutes a pyramid. A similar process of reinvesting gains or winnings (as of a gamble), but not involving operation on margin, is called a parlay.
Speculation To use, or to deal in, in a pyramiding transaction. See Pyramid, intransitive verb
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54 · with additions: +PJC, 1913 supplement, GCIDE editors