in Heraldry, an ordinary in the form of a wedge, contracting from the chief, and terminating in a point towards the bottom of the shield.

amongst the Greeks and Romans, was a pyramid built of wood, upon which were laid the bodies of the deceased, to be burned. It was partly in the form of an altar, and differed in height according to the quality of the person to be consumed. Probably it might originally have been considered as an altar, upon which the dead were consumed as a burnt-offering to the infernal deities. The trees made use of in the erection of a funeral pile were such as abounded in pitch or rosin, and consequently were most combustible; if they used any other wood, it was split that it might the more easily catch fire. Round the pile were placed cypress boughs, to prevent the noisome smell.

in building, means a large stake rammed into the ground in the bottom of rivers, or in marshy land, for a foundation to build upon.

PILE is also a term amongst architects, signifying a mass of building.