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; architect, -ure

Example Sentences

In 2023, an architecture firm proposed an elegant Colosseum-like rugby stadium in Bath, England, keeping with the city’s historic Georgian architecture.

From The Wall Street Journal

That architecture rested on a Supreme Court ruling that arrived just as Congress was searching for a solution.

From The Wall Street Journal

DeepSeek published two research papers this month discussing a new training architecture that allows for development of larger models using fewer chips, and a memory design that makes models run more efficiently.

From The Wall Street Journal

But the AI architecture lights the way toward Level 3 and 4 automation in future products.

From The Wall Street Journal

Delphi’s Ladjevardian said the company works with several large language models which operate atop its proprietary mind architecture.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• building
• construction
• engineering
• planning