edifice

See also édifice

English

Alternative forms

• ædifice (archaic)

Etymology

Middle English edifice, from Old French edifice, reborrowed from Latin aedificium (“building”), derived from aedificāre (“to build, establish”) (whence also edify).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA: /ˈed.ɪ.fɪs/, SAMPA: /"Ed.I.fIs/

• Audio (US)

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Noun

edifice (plural edifices)

1. A building; a structure; an architectural fabric, especially an imposing one; a large or fine building, public or private.
2. An abstract structure; a school of thought.
   • 1904, Edward S. Holden, “Copernicus”, Popular science monthly, volume 65‎, page 117: 

     The real difficulty was moral, not intellectual. Was the whole edifice of Ptolemy to be destroyed?

Related terms

terms related to edifice (noun)

edificant edification edificator edificatory edificial

edifier edify edifyingly edifyingness

Translations

building

Bulgarian: здание (bg) (zdánie) n. German: Bauwerk (de) n., Gebäude (de) n.

Icelandic: bygging (is) f., hús (is) n. Norwegian: byggverk (no) n.

school of thought

German: Lehrgebäude (de) n.

References

• edifice in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• edifice in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913