basilica

noun

ba·​sil·​i·​ca bə-ˈsi-li-kə 

 also  -ˈzi-

1

: an oblong building ending in a semicircular apse used in ancient Rome especially for a court of justice and place of public assembly

2

: an early Christian church building consisting of nave and aisles with clerestory and a large high transept from which an apse projects

3

: a Roman Catholic church given ceremonial privileges

basilican

bə-ˈsi-li-kən 

 also  -ˈzi-

adjective

Did you know?

From their noun basileus, meaning “king,” the Greeks derived the adjective basilikos meaning “royal.” In ancient Thera there was a public building called “Basilike stoa,” or Royal portico, and it may have been the prototype of later Roman basilicas. The first of these was built in 184 ce, and by the time of Augustus, there were five basilicas in the vicinity of the forum. They were used for public assembly, transacting business, and judicial proceedings. When the first Christian churches were built, they were often modeled after the civil basilicas.

Examples of basilica in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The basilica also houses a shrine to modern Christian martyrs from around the world, whose relics line both sides of the church and also fill the crypts below. —Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 19 May 2025

But on the whole—clerics dressed in red and white and world leaders in black, the coffin borne out of the basilica in a gravid procession, the mingled sounds of tolling bells and helicopter rotors—the proceedings were very familiar. —Paul Elie, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2025

The basilica is already scheduled to be open to mourners for a third and final day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, April 25. —Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2025

Spread across three floors with several balconies, it is located near the town’s picturesque basilica. —Silvia Marchetti, CNN Money, 18 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin, borrowed from Greek basilikḗ (for basilikḕ stoá "royal stoa"), noun derivative from feminine of basilikós "of a king, royal," from basil- (base of basileús "king, prince," of pre-Greek substratal origin) + -ikos -ic entry 1

First Known Use

1541, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for basilica

• silica