rotunda

noun

ro·​tun·​da rō-ˈtən-də 

1

: a round building

especially : one covered by a dome

2

a

: a large round room

b

: a large central area (as in a hotel)

Examples of rotunda in a Sentence

We stood inside the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol Building.

Recent Examples on the Web

Makes sense, as the rotunda dome does look a lot like an observatory. —Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 13 Jan. 2026

In 2025, after being excluded from the rotunda, protesters marched through the State House and up to the second floor, where their chants could be heard in the House chamber. —Patrick Anderson, The Providence Journal, 6 Jan. 2026

Chair Yoga Class: 9 a.m., San Diego Country Estates, the rotunda at 16911 Gunn Stage Road. —Ramona Sentinel, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Dec. 2025

Frank Lloyd Wright’s spiral rotunda looked eerily like a temple to house her works which af Klint had once imagined. —Alice Gregory, New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Italian rotonda, from Latin rotunda, feminine of rotundus

First Known Use

circa 1566, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing rotunda

• fenestra rotunda

Rhymes for rotunda

• lunda
• munda

Kids Definition

rotunda

noun

ro·​tun·​da rō-ˈtən-də 

1

: a round building

especially : one covered by a dome

2

a

: a large round room

b

: a large central area (as in a hotel)

Medical Definition

rotunda

see fenestra rotunda