rotunda
Americannoun
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a round building, especially one with a dome.
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a large and high circular hall or room in a building, especially one surmounted by a dome.
noun
Etymology
Origin of rotunda
1680–90; alteration of Italian rotonda, noun use of feminine of rotondo < Latin rotundus rotund
Explanation
When making the plans for your new house, consider adding a rotunda, or a round room. It will give the house a grand appearance and also allow you to walk in circles as much as you please. You may have heard the adjective rotund to describe a person with a round shape. Rotunda, with an -a at the end, is a noun that refers to a type of building or room that is round and often has a dome on top. Rotundas are often found as part of large, important buildings such as capitol buildings and museums.
Vocabulary lists containing rotunda
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The iconic Rotunda, which holds the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights, is unchanged.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 5, 2026
“It just was kind of a slow trickle, you know, a lot of us had heard about this years ago,” he said while sitting in the Rotunda of the Capitol.
From Slate • Nov. 12, 2025
Whatever their tastes in art, you can be sure they weren’t there to admire the statues and oil paintings lining the gilded Capitol Rotunda.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2025
It was dangerously cold outside on Monday, which necessitated that Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony be held inside the Capitol Rotunda.
From Salon • Jan. 22, 2025
Up bright and early the next morning, Kyle made his way across the Rotunda Reading Room.
From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
