Pyramid vs. Prism

Pyramidnoun

An ancient massive construction with a square or rectangular base and four triangular sides meeting in an apex, such as those built as tombs in Egypt or as bases for temples in Mesoamerica.

Pyramidnoun

A construction in the shape of a pyramid, usually with a square or rectangular base.

Pyramidnoun

(geometry) A solid with triangular lateral faces and a polygonal (often square or rectangular) base.

Pyramidnoun

The game of pool in which the balls are placed in the form of a triangle at spot.

Pyramidnoun

A pyramid scheme.

Pyramidnoun

alternative case form of Pyramid. a solitaire card game

Pyramidnoun

(card games) The triangular layout of cards in the game of Pyramid.

Pyramidverb

to build up or be arranged in the form of a pyramid

Pyramidverb

To combine (a series of genes) into a single genotype.

Pyramidverb

(intransitive) To employ, or take part in, a pyramid scheme.

Pyramidnoun

A solid body standing on a triangular, square, or polygonal base, and terminating in a point at the top; especially, a structure or edifice of this shape.

Pyramidnoun

A solid figure contained by a plane rectilineal figure as base and several triangles which have a common vertex and whose bases are sides of the base.

Pyramidnoun

The game of pool in which the balls are placed in the form of a triangle at spot.

Pyramidnoun

a fraudulent investment scheme in which the manager promises high profits, but instead of investing the money in a genuine profit-making activity, uses the money from later investors to pay the profits to earlier investors; - also called pyramid scheme or pyramid operation. This process inevitably collapses when insufficient new investors are available, leaving the later investors with total or near-total losses of their investments. The managers usually blame government regulations or interference for the collapse of the scheme, rather than admit fraud.

Pyramidverb

To enlarge one's holding or interest in a series of operations on a continued rise or decline by using the profits to buy or sell additional amounts on a margin, as where one buys on a 10% margin 100 shares of stock quoted at 100, holds it till it rises to 105, and then uses the paper profit to buy 50 shares more, etc. The series of operations constitutes a pyramid. A similar process of reinvesting gains or winnings (as of a gamble), but not involving operation on margin, is called a parlay.

Pyramidverb

To use, or to deal in, in a pyramiding transaction. See Pyramid, v. i.

Pyramidnoun

a polyhedron having a polygonal base and triangular sides with a common vertex

Pyramidnoun

(stock market) a series of transactions in which the speculator increases his holdings by using the rising market value of those holdings as margin for further purchases

Pyramidnoun

a massive memorial with a square base and four triangular sides; built as royal tombs in ancient Egypt

Pyramidverb

enlarge one's holdings on an exchange on a continued rise by using paper profits as margin to buy additional amounts

Pyramidverb

use or deal in (as of stock or commercial transaction) in a pyramid deal

Pyramidverb

arrange or build up as if on the base of a pyramid

Pyramidverb

increase rapidly and progressively step by step on a broad base

Pyramidnoun

a monumental structure with a square or triangular base and sloping sides that meet in a point at the top, especially one built of stone as a royal tomb in ancient Egypt.

Pyramidnoun

an object, shape, or arrangement in the form of a pyramid

Pyramidnoun

a polyhedron of which one face is a polygon of any number of sides, and the other faces are triangles with a common vertex

Pyramidnoun

a structure of more or less pyramidal form, especially in the brain or the renal medulla.

Pyramidnoun

an organization or system that is structured with fewer people or things at each level as one approaches the top

Pyramidnoun

a game played on a billiard table with fifteen coloured balls arranged in a triangle and a cue ball.

Pyramidnoun

a system of financial growth achieved by a small initial investment, with subsequent investments being funded by using unrealized profits as collateral

Pyramidnoun

short for pyramid scheme

Pyramidverb

stack or arrange in the shape of a pyramid.

Pyramidverb

achieve a substantial return on (money or property) after making a small initial investment

Pyramid

A pyramid (from Greek: πυραμίς pyramís) is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or of any polygon shape.

Prismnoun

(geometry) A polyhedron with parallel ends of the same size and shape, the other faces being parallelogram-shaped sides.

Prismnoun

A transparent block in the shape of a prism (typically with triangular ends), used to split or reflect light.

Prismnoun

A crystal in which the faces are parallel to the vertical axis.

Prismnoun

A solid whose bases or ends are any similar, equal, and parallel plane figures, and whose sides are parallelograms.

Prismnoun

A transparent body, with usually three rectangular plane faces or sides, and two equal and parallel triangular ends or bases; - used in experiments on refraction, dispersion, etc.

Prismnoun

A form the planes of which are parallel to the vertical axis. See Form, n., 13.

Prismnoun

a polyhedron with two congruent and parallel faces (the bases) and whose lateral faces are parallelograms

Prismnoun

optical device having a triangular shape and made of glass or quartz; used to deviate a beam or invert an image

Prism

An optical prism is a transparent optical element with flat, polished surfaces that refract light. At least one surface must be angled — elements with two parallel surfaces are not prisms.