Massive structures with a square base and triangular sides meeting at a point, like those built as tombs in ancient Egypt.
From Greek 'pyramis,' possibly from Egyptian or Semitic origins, though the exact source is debated. The Greek word may derive from 'pyr' (fire) or Egyptian 'pir-em-us' (formula). Came into English through Latin.
The Egyptian pyramids were built so precisely that the Great Pyramid's four sides differ by less than 20 centimeters in length over 230-meter sides—and they built this 4,500 years ago without computers, using only mathematics and human ingenuity.
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