obelisk

thumb|One of the two Luxor Obelisks, on the [[Place de la Concorde in Paris; a red granite monolithic column, high, including the base, which weighs over .]] thumb|Lateran Obelisk in Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano, [[Rome. With its height of (with the base and the cross it reaches 45.70 m) it is the largest standing ancient monolithic obelisk in the world.]]

An obelisk (; , diminutive of ('''') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar'), less often spelled obelisque, is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called tekhenu, the Greeks used the Greek term to describe them, and this word passed into Latin and ultimately English. Though William Thomas used the term correctly in his Historie of Italie of 1549, by the late sixteenth century (after reduced contact with Italy following the excommunication of Queen Elizabeth), Shakespeare failed to distinguish between pyramids and obelisks in his plays and sonnets. Ancient obelisks are monolithic and consist of a single stone; most modern obelisks are made of several stones.