English → Latin
“obelisk” in Latin
obeliscusobelisk (all senses)mētacone, pyramid; turning point, winning post (pillar at each end of the Circus route); boundary limitcippusstake, post; gravestone, tombstone; landmark, boundary markerobelusobelisk (diacritical mark)
The English word obelisk itself goes back to Latin obeliscus.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
obelisk
obeliscus (general term): meta (at the end of the Roman circus): cippus (as a sepulchral monument): obeliscus, obelus (as a mark in books).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for obelisk?
- The usual Latin words for “obelisk” are obeliscus, mēta, cippus; also obelus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.