obelisk

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A tall stone pillar with four sides that gets narrower toward a pointed top.

   Grammar: Takes a/an and a plural: an obelisk, two obelisks.

   Patterns

   • an obelisk of something
   • an obelisk in something

   An ancient obelisk stands in the middle of the square.

   The Egyptians carved obelisks from single blocks of granite.

   Tourists photographed the obelisk at sunset.

2. 2nouncountabletechnical

   A printed mark shaped like a dagger used to refer to a note.

   Grammar: Also called a dagger; used in printing.

   Patterns

   • mark with an obelisk

   The editor marked the footnote with an obelisk.

   An obelisk follows the author's name in the list.

   In older texts, an obelisk shows a death date.

Word forms

Common combinations

Egyptian obelisk

An Egyptian obelisk stands in Paris.

granite obelisk

A granite obelisk marked the battlefield.

erect an obelisk

They erected an obelisk to honor the king.

towering obelisk

A towering obelisk dominated the plaza.

stone obelisk

A stone obelisk rose above the cemetery.

Synonyms and how they differ

column

Column is a round pillar, while an obelisk has four sides and a pointed top.

monument

Monument is any memorial, but obelisk is one particular shape.

spire

Spire is a pointed tower on a building, whereas an obelisk stands alone.

pillar

Pillar is general and often holds up a structure, but an obelisk is a decorative monument.

Word family

obelus noun

a mark used in texts, related to the obelisk's name

obeliscal adjective

rare word meaning shaped like an obelisk

obelisks noun

plural of obelisk

Commonly confused: obelisk or basilisk? obelisk or pyramid?

Practice

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