Edifice

English

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.

Related terms

terms related to edifice (noun)

edificant edification edificator edificatory edificial

edifier edify edifyingly edifyingness

Thesaurus

Dymaxion house, White House, adobe house, architecture, building, casa, cliff dwelling, construct, construction, consulate, country house, country seat, dacha, deanery, dwelling house, embassy, erection, establishment, fabric, farm, farmhouse, hall, house, houseboat, hut, lake dwelling, living machine, lodge, manor house, manse, packaged house, parsonage, penthouse, pile, prefab, prefabricated house, prefabrication, presidential palace, pyramid, ranch house, rectory, roof, skyscraper, sod house, split-level, structure, superstructure, tower, town house, vicarage

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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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