architecture

American  

[ahr-ki-tek-cher] / ˈɑr kɪˌtɛk tʃər /

noun

1. the profession of designing buildings, open areas, communities, and other artificial constructions and environments, usually with some regard to aesthetic effect. Architecture often includes design or selection of furnishings and decorations, supervision of construction work, and the examination, restoration, or remodeling of existing buildings.

2. the character or style of building.

   the architecture of Paris; Romanesque architecture.

3. the action or process of building; construction.

4. the result or product of architectural work, as a building.

5. buildings collectively.

6. Computers. a fundamental underlying design of computer hardware, software, or both.

7. the structure of anything.

   the architecture of a novel.

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architecture British  

/ ˈɑːkɪˌtɛktʃə /

noun

1. the art and science of designing and superintending the erection of buildings and similar structures

2. a style of building or structure

   Gothic architecture

3. buildings or structures collectively

4. the structure or design of anything

   the architecture of the universe

5. the internal organization of a computer's components with particular reference to the way in which data is transmitted

6. the arrangement of the various devices in a complete computer system or network

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Other Word Forms

• architectural
  adjective
• architecturally
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of architecture

First recorded in 1555–65; from Middle French, from Latin architectūra; see architect, -ure

Explanation

Architecture is the process, or profession, of designing buildings and their environments. Architecture also refers to the product of this design and work. The root of the word architecture is the Greek arkhitekton ("master builder"), which makes sense because the ancient Greeks were very skilled at architecture — think of all those columns and stadiums and temples. The Parthenon, which was begun in 447 BC, is one of the greatest examples of architecture from Classical Greece.

Example Sentences

World number five Jessica Pegula is chair of the WTA Tour Architecture Council, which has been tasked with recommending changes that could be brought in as soon as next season.

From BBC • May 6, 2026

Architecture by Swedroe Architecture, with interiors by Oggi Design House, aims to deliver a more refined, design-forward residential experience along the Treasure Coast.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

Huang began his GTC keynote by talking about the 20th anniversary of Nvidia’s most important software known as CUDA, or Compute Unified Device Architecture.

From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026

Architecture critics, who like to put the chapel in a historical context, regard it as a turning point in the discipline—its fanciful use of concrete anticipates Brutalism and its unusual shapes herald Post-Modernism.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

Architecture came into being with the construction of ritual monuments.

From "The Annotated Mona Lisa" by Carol Strickland and John Boswell

Related Words

• building
• construction
• engineering
• planning