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
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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.
Examples of ziggurat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The cylinders, nearly identical, provide a detailed account of his plan to restore Kish’s ziggurat that had been constructed under a former king who remains unnamed.
—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Jan. 2026
Hassell cited a 1982 concrete ziggurat near Orchard Boulevard by American architect John Portman, inventor of the atrium hotel.
—
Kevin West,
Travel + Leisure,
16 July 2025
On top of the El Dorado’s twin towers, nearly 400 feet in the air, were two men balancing on the slender ziggurat peaks.
—
Matthew Sedacca,
Curbed,
21 Mar. 2025
The game draws on various ancient empires for its lore, from Celtic mythology and the Roman empire, to ancient Polynesia, Aztec ziggurats and ruins.
—
Jason Bennett,
arkansasonline.com,
12 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ziggurat
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Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Jan. 2026
Hassell cited a 1982 concrete ziggurat near Orchard Boulevard by American architect John Portman, inventor of the atrium hotel.
—
Kevin West,
Travel + Leisure,
16 July 2025
On top of the El Dorado’s twin towers, nearly 400 feet in the air, were two men balancing on the slender ziggurat peaks.
—
Matthew Sedacca,
Curbed,
21 Mar. 2025
The game draws on various ancient empires for its lore, from Celtic mythology and the Roman empire, to ancient Polynesia, Aztec ziggurats and ruins.
—
Jason Bennett,
arkansasonline.com,
12 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ziggurat
Cite this Entry
“Ziggurat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ziggurat. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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