obelisk
/ˈɔbəlɪsk/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.76 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
1
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A tall, square, tapered, stone monolith topped with a pyramidal point, frequently used as a monument.
noun
An RNA structure similar to a viroid, with a rod-like secondary structure, which comprises its own phylogenetic group.
Example Sentences
- ""The clay envelope is Sumerian. It is from the third millennium B.C. It was dug up from the city of Eridu is southern Iraq. The black stele or obelisk is the Code of Hammurabi, which dates from about 1750 B.C."
- "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."
- "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[…]"
Etymology
From Middle French obelisque, from Latin obeliscus (“obelisk”), from Ancient Greek ὀβελίσκος (obelískos), diminutive of ὀβελός (obelós, “needle”). Compare obelus.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *gʷelH-, obelisque, obeliscus, ὀβελίσκος
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈɔbəlɪsk/
- British English: /ˈɒbəlɪsk/