basilica
noun
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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
Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Featuring works by artists such as Michelangelo and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the basilica serves as the global symbol of the Catholic Church.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
The Vatican has responded to previous incidents by increasing security in the basilica.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Outside the Vatican, prognosticators of all stripes scrambled to predict what name would be announced from the basilica balcony.
—Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 11 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Basilica.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/basilica. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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