n.1 a monumental structure, usu. of stone, with a square base and sloping sides meeting centrally at an apex, esp. an ancient Egyptian royal tomb.
2 a solid of this type with a base of three or more sides.
3 a pyramid-shaped thing or pile of things.
4 (in pl.) a game played on a billiard-table with (usu. 15) coloured balls and a cue-ball.
Phrases and idioms:
pyramid selling a system of selling goods in which agency rights are sold to an increasing number of distributors at successively lower levels.
Derivatives:
pyramidal adj. pyramidally adv. pyramidic adj. (also pyramidical). pyramidically adv. pyramidwise adj.
Etymology: ME f. L pyramis f. Gk puramis -idos