basilica

Plural: basilicae, basilicas

Noun

• A large oblong hall or building with double colonnades.
• an early Christian church designed like a Roman basilica; or a Roman Catholic church or cathedral accorded certain privileges
  • "the church was raised to the rank of basilica"
• a Roman building used for public administration
• A Christian church building having a nave with a semicircular apse, side aisles, a narthex and a clerestory.
• A Roman Catholic church or cathedral with basilican status, an honorific status granted by the pope to recognize its historical, architectural, or sacramental importance.
• An apartment provided in the houses of persons of importance, where assemblies were held for dispensing justice; hence, any large hall used for this purpose.

Examples

• Playing BASILICA across two triple-word scores gave his score cathedral-like height.

Synonyms

Roman basilica