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Pyramid

3 stages from Greek to English.

Today it means a structure with a square base and triangular sides meeting at a point

Where does the word "pyramid" come from? It comes from Greek pyramis, passing through Latin before entering English (1500s).

pyramis→pyramis→pyramid

Greek · ancient

probably from an Egyptian word; Greeks also used it for a wheat cake of similar shape

Latin · ancient

Rome has the Pyramid of Cestius

English · 1500s

"a pyramid-shaped structure"

'pyramid scheme' came in the 1900s

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Pyramid’s story begins in Greek: pyramis meant “pyramid.” Probably from an Egyptian word; Greeks also used it for a wheat cake of similar shape. By ancient, the word had taken hold in Latin as pyramis. Rome has the Pyramid of Cestius. It reached English by 1500s as pyramid. 'pyramid scheme' came in the 1900s. Today, pyramid means a structure with a square base and triangular sides meeting at a point.