Illustration of ziggurat
ziggurat
noun
zig·gu·rat
ˈzi-gə-ˌrat
: an ancient Mesopotamian temple tower consisting of a lofty pyramidal structure built in successive stages with outside staircases and a shrine at the top
also
: a structure or object of similar form
Did you know?
François Lenormant and Ziggurat
French professor of archaeology François Lenormant spent a great deal of time poring over ancient Assyrian texts. In those cuneiform inscriptions, he pieced together a long-forgotten language, now known as Akkadian, which proved valuable to our understanding of the ancient civilization. Through his studies, he became familiar with the Akkadian word for Mesopotamia’s towering, stepped temples: ziqqurratu, which stepped into English as ziggurat.
Cite this Entry
“Ziggurat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ziggurat. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
