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pediment

 - 4 dictionary results

ped⋅i⋅ment

  [ped-uh-muhnt]
–noun
1. (in classical architecture) a low gable, typically triangular with a horizontal cornice and raking cornices, surmounting a colonnade, an end wall, or a major division of a façade.
2. any imitation of this, often fancifully treated, used to crown an opening, a monument, etc., or to form part of a decorative scheme.
3. Geology. a gently sloping rock surface at the foot of a steep slope, as of a mountain, usually thinly covered with alluvium.
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Origin:
1655–65; earlier pedament, pedement, alter., by assoc. with L pēs (s. ped-) foot, of earlier peremint, perh. an unlearned alter. of pyramid; (def. 3) by construal as pedi- + -ment

Related forms:
ped⋅i⋅men⋅tal  [ped-uh-men-tl] , adjective
ped⋅i⋅ment⋅ed  [ped-uh-men-tid, -muhn-] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To pediment
ped·i·ment   (pěd'ə-mənt)   
n.  

    1. A wide, low-pitched gable surmounting the façade of a building in the Grecian style.

    2. A triangular element, similar to or derivative of a Grecian pediment, used widely in architecture and decoration.

  2. Geology A broad, gently sloping rock surface at the base of a steeper slope, often covered with alluvium, formed primarily by erosion.


[Alteration (influenced by Latin pēs, ped-, foot) of earlier perement, probably alteration of pyramid.]
ped'i·men'tal (-měn'tl) adj., ped'i·ment'ed adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

pediment 
triangular part of the facade of a Gk.-style building, 1664, alteration of periment, peremint (1592), apparently a dial. garbling of pyramid, the connection perhaps being the triangular shape. Sometimes associated with ped- "foot." But L. pedamentum meant "vine-stalk, prop," and It. pedamento at the time this word entered Eng. meant "foundation, basework, footing."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Science Dictionary
pediment   (pěd'ə-mənt)  Pronunciation Key 
A broad, gently sloping rock surface at the base of a steeper slope such as a mountain, often covered with alluvium. Pediments are formed through the exposure of bedrock by erosional processes, such as the flow of water. Pediments are usually found in arid regions where there is little vegetation to hold the overlying soil.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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