basilica

American  

[buh-sil-i-kuh, -zil-] / bəˈsɪl ɪ kə, -ˈzɪl- /

noun

• basilicas
  plural

1. an early Christian or medieval church of the type built especially in Italy, characterized by a plan including a nave, two or four side aisles, a semicircular apse, a narthex, and often other features, as a short transept, a number of small semicircular apses terminating the aisles, or an atrium. The interior is characterized by strong horizontality, with little or no attempt at rhythmic accents. All spaces are usually covered with timber roofs or ceilings except for the apse or apses, which are vaulted.

2. one of the seven main churches of Rome or another Roman Catholic church accorded the same religious privileges.

3. (in ancient Rome) a large oblong building used as a hall of justice and public meeting place.

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basilica British  

/ bəˈzɪlɪkə /

noun

1. a Roman building, used for public administration, having a large rectangular central nave with an aisle on each side and an apse at the end

2. a rectangular early Christian or medieval church, usually having a nave with clerestories, two or four aisles, one or more vaulted apses, and a timber roof

3. a Roman Catholic church having special ceremonial rights

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basilica Cultural  

1. A large Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox church building. A basilica is built with several parallel aisles separated by rows of columns, ending in a semicircular structure, the apse. Saint Peter's Basilica is the church of the Vatican in Rome.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• basilican
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• basilicas
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of basilica

1535–45; < Latin < Greek basilikḗ hall, short for basilikḗ oikía royal house. See basilic

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

basilica basilicas

They will rest in the Church of Saint Sofia, a sixth-century basilica that gave its name to the Bulgarian capital.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

Hindus light candles at Mount Mary, a Catholic basilica overlooking the city.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

The pope is scheduled to preside over Mass from that basilica on April 22, the last full day of his trip.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2026

Framed by white roses on the central balcony of the Vatican's basilica, the pope called on "those who have the power to unleash wars" to choose peace.

From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2026

But what you cannot do in the basilica is speak or sing quickly: it would come out as gobbledegook.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

It is one of Rome's four major basilicas and one of the oldest in the city.

From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2025

His mosaics decorate churches and basilicas around the world, including at the Vatican.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 23, 2023

With their crystalline mosaics and thin, pure light, these humbly elegant basilicas conjure the time when a strange, fervent, unyielding new cult rose from the ashes of empire.

From New York Times ● May 1, 2023

In bordering Umbria, thousands more were damaged when small churches and large basilicas crumbled.

From Reuters ● Jun. 22, 2022

The Greek churches, even those which are not monastic, are far inferior both in size and interest to the Latin basilicas of Rome.

From Visits To Monasteries in the Levant by Robert Curzon

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