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

Etymology

Origin of basilica

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

basilica basilicas

The basilica was due to be finished for this year’s centenary of Gaudí’s death.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

The rue Lepic, the steep 1-kilometer stretch that punches up through the 18th arrondissement and leads the peloton toward the Sacré-Coeur basilica, is a more recent addition.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 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

The skull was also damaged when the body was moved into the basilica in the 13th century.

From Barron's ● Feb. 22, 2026

The basilica is a vast, cavernous, echoing space, with all sorts of alcoves, balconies, domes, cupolas and arches affecting its acoustics.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Pope Francis, who was appointed in 2013, will be laid to rest in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, one of Rome's four major basilicas.

From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2025

Rupnik’s mosaics decorate churches and basilicas around the world, including at the Catholic shrine in Lourdes, France, the forthcoming cathedral in Aparecida, Brazil, and the Redemptoris Mater chapel of the Apostolic Palace.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 21, 2024

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 oldest memorials of this period are the vestiges of three basilicas, excavated in Salona, and dating from the first half of the 7th century at latest.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 9 "Dagupan" to "David" by Various