edifice

[ed-uh-fis]

noun

1. a building, especially one of large size or imposing appearance.

2. any large, complex system or organization.

edifice

/ ˌɛdɪˈfɪʃəl, ˈɛdɪfɪs /

noun

1. a building, esp a large or imposing one

2. a complex or elaborate institution or organization

Other Word Forms

• edificial adjective
• unedificial adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of edifice¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Anglo-French, Middle French < Latin aedificium, equivalent to aedific ( āre ) to build ( edify ) + -ium -ium

Word History and Origins

Origin of edifice¹

C14: from Old French, from Latin aedificium, from aedificāre to build; see _edify

Synonym Study

See building.

Example Sentences

Thick layers of sediment rich in organic material lie beneath the volcanic edifice.

Read more on Science Daily

“The market was priced for perfection and now the concerns about AI and a pause in Fed rate cutting are spreading cracks through the edifice of perfection,” Wilmington Trust’s Roth said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

I took the elevator back down to street level and hopped a cab toward the strangely antique edifice.

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The Coast Guard decommissioned the St. George Reef Lighthouse in 1975, replacing the grand edifice with a floating, automated buoy light.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It’s a procession of people with nothing in common save the desire to climb the steps and enter this edifice: a public library in the middle of Ohio.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• monument 
• skyscraper