Pyr"a*lid (?), n. [L. pyralis, -idis, a kind of winged insect.] (Zoˆl.)
Any moth of the family PyralidÊ. The species are numerous and mostly
small, but some of them are very injurious, as the bee moth, meal moth,
hop moth, and clover moth.
Pyr"a*mid (?), n. [L. pyramis, -idis, fr. Gr. &?;, &?;, of Egyptian
origin: cf. F. pyramide.]
1. 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.
2. (Geom.) 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.
3. pl. (Billiards) The game of pool in which the balls are placed in
the form of a triangle at spot. [Eng.]
Altitude of a pyramid (Geom.), the perpendicular distance from the
vertex to the plane of the base. -- Axis of a pyramid (Geom.), a
straight line drawn from the vertex to the center of the base. -- Earth
pyramid. (Geol.) See Earth pillars, under Earth. -- Right pyramid
(Geom.) a pyramid whose axis is perpendicular to the base.