Pediment
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A classical architectural element consisting of a triangular section or gable found above the horizontal superstructure (entablature) which lies immediately upon the columns; fronton.
"Passing the Congregation Shearith Israel on Central Park West (a white whale of a building with a triangular pediment supported by four count ’em four massive Corinthian columns), Professor Solanka scurrying through the downpour remembered the newly bat-mitzvahed thirteen-year-old girl he’d glimpsed through the side door, […]"
- 2 a triangular gable between a horizontal entablature and a sloping roof wordnet
- 3 A very gently sloping (0.5°-7°) inclined bedrock surface.
Example
More examples"Passing the Congregation Shearith Israel on Central Park West (a white whale of a building with a triangular pediment supported by four count ’em four massive Corinthian columns), Professor Solanka scurrying through the downpour remembered the newly bat-mitzvahed thirteen-year-old girl he’d glimpsed through the side door, […]"
Etymology
From the earlier form peremint, perhaps a dialectal alteration of pyramid, under the influence of -ment.
Related phrases
More for "pediment"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.