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basilica

basilica

noun bah-ZEE-lee-kah Rare

Origin: From Latin basilica, from Greek basilikē (royal hall).

Usage Note

Basilica in Italian designates a large Christian church granted special ceremonial status, as well as the original Roman public hall from which these churches derived their form. The stress falls on the second syllable (bah-ZEE-lee-kah), not the third — a common mispronunciation for English speakers who say 'ba-SIL-i-ca'. The plural is le basiliche.

Examples

"Abbiamo visitato la basilica di San Pietro."

Natural Translation

We visited St Peter's Basilica.

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