basilica

[ buh-sil-i-kuh, -zil- ]

/ bəˈsɪl ɪ kə, -ˈzɪl- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR basilica ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

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

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

RELATED WORDS

shrine, temple

Nearby words

basilect, basilemma, basilian, basilic, basilic vein, basilica, basilican, basilicata, basilisk, basilius, basin

Origin of basilica

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for basilica

What Francis said to Law when the two of them met and briefly embraced at the Rome basilica is not known.
From Dirty War to Child Abuse, Church’s Past Confronts Pope Francis|Christopher Dickey|March 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The basilica is one of a handful of churches outside the walls of Vatican City owned by the Holy See.
Italian Police Probe Vatican, Mafia Links in Teen’s Disappearance 30 Years Ago|Barbie Latza Nadeau|April 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a church where the faithful come to pray for cures.
'Our Teddy Changed America'|Adam Clymer|August 29, 2009|DAILY BEAST
The Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is not the biggest church in Boston, but it has two pieces of history.
Teddy's Catholic Pain|Adam Clymer|August 26, 2009|DAILY BEAST

And after this he died at Paris and was buried in the basilica of the holy saints which he and his queen, Chlothilde, had built.
A Source Book for Mediaeval History|Oliver J. Thatcher
The form of the crypt is that of a perfect Romanesque basilica, a nave and two aisles terminating a three-lobed apse.
The Cathedrals of Northern Spain|Charles Rudy
They rushed impetuously from the basilica and marched along the quays to the Chamber of Deputies.
Penguin Island|Anatole France
The Vatican adjoins St. Peter's cathedral—or basilica as it is called—a description of whose beauties would fill a volume.
The Old World and Its Ways|William Jennings Bryan
It is said by tradition that it took its name from a basilica which stood here where the cases of the slaves were tried.
Rambles in Rome|S. Russell Forbes

British Dictionary definitions for basilica

basilica

/ (bəˈzɪlɪkə) /

noun

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

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

a Roman Catholic church having special ceremonial rights

Derived Formsbasilican or basilic, adjective

Word Origin for basilica

C16: from Latin, from Greek basilikē hall, from basilikē oikia the king's house, from basileus king; see basil

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for basilica

basilica

1540s, from Latin basilica "building of a court of justice," and, by extension, church built on the plan of one, from Greek (stoa) basilike "royal (portal)," the portico of the archon basileus, the official who dispensed justice in Athens, from basileus "king" (see Basil). In Rome, applied specifically to the seven principal churches founded by Constantine.

Culture definitions for basilica

basilica

[ (buh-sil-uh-kuh) ]

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.