Roman building
- noun
:
edificio romano
- Many Roman buildings have stood the test of time, showcasing the remarkable engineering skills of the ancient Romans.
Examples
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They dug the following summer and found a large Roman building.
Academic text (2004) -
And that is the use of Roman buildings as quarries for later architects and later patrons, namely Princess and Popes.
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The ancient Roman building featured an impressive archway and a domed roof.
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Tourists flock to Italy to admire the stunning remains of Roman buildings scattered across the landscape.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'Roman' denotes something pertaining to Rome or the Romans and 'building' denotes an edifice, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer a structure associated with the ancient Romans. This adjectival + noun pattern is transparent and cross-linguistically common, so the expression will be immediately understandable to learners familiar with the constituents.
Etymology
Roman building comes from the strong, large structures the ancient Romans made, often using heavy concrete with high arches, round domes, and long vaults. That's why 'Roman building' today means a structure built by the Romans or made in their old style.
