skyscraper

Meaning

1. A very tall building with a large number of floors.
2. (archaic) A small sail atop a mast of a ship; a triangular skysail.
3. (figuratively) Anything very tall or high.

Synonyms

high-rise building

tall building

sky-scraper

multistoried building

gratte-ciel

high-rise

high-rise structure

tower block

Translations

gratte-ciel

grattacielo

Wolkenkratzer

rascacielos

arranha-céu

gratacel

wolkenkrabber

gökdelen

ουρανοξύστης

Hochhaus

gratacèl

balexane

ناطحة سحاب

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈskaɪˌskɹeɪpɚ/

Etymology

Compound of sky + scraper, first applied to tall steel-frame buildings in American cities such as New York City and Chicago in the 1880s.