edifice

[ ed-uh-fis ]

/ ˈɛd ə fɪs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR edifice ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

any large, complex system or organization.

Nearby words

edict of nantes, edicule, edie, edification, edificatory, edifice, edify, edile, edina, edinburg, edinburgh

Origin of edifice

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

Related forms

ed·i·fi·cial

[ed-uh-fish-uh l] /ˌɛd əˈfɪʃ əl/, adjectiveun·ed·i·fi·cial, adjective

Synonym study

1. See building.

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

Examples from the Web for edifice

A stage was erected next to the edifice and hundreds would gather to watch floggings, crying out “Allahu Akbar!”
Who Is Fazlullah? The Pakistani Mullah Who Targeted Malala|Michael Daly|November 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
With a powerful lever the soldiers attempted to prise open the door of the columbarium, shaking the edifice on its foundations.
The Death of the Gods|Dmitri Mrejkowski
Close at hand the edifice gained in austerity and dignity while it lost the last of its scanty air of hospitality.
Doom Castle|Neil Munro
They perform important offices, although they are not the materials to rear and consolidate the edifice of thought.
On the Nature of Thought|John Haslam

He was a forgotten unit in that subaltern rank, on whose individual merits the titled built their edifice of fame.
The Knickerbocker, Vol. 22, No. 2, August 1843|Various
The growl is in fact no other than the humming note of bull-roarers swung by men, who are concealed within the edifice.
The Belief in Immortality and the Worship of the Dead, Volume I (of 3)|Sir James George Frazer

British Dictionary definitions for edifice

edifice

/ (ˈɛdɪfɪs) /

noun

a building, esp a large or imposing one

a complex or elaborate institution or organization

Derived Forms

edificial (ˌɛdɪˈfɪʃəl), adjective

Word Origin for edifice

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

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