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Glite Dictionary
Roman basilica

Roman basilica

1 9.5
An ancient Roman building where people meet, hold law courts and do government business
  • noun
  • /ˈroʊmən bəˈzɪlɪkə/
translation icon : basilica romana
  • At this time, Butrint also had an impressive three-aisled Christian basilica with mosaic pavement built on the foundations of an earlier, secular Roman basilica that was used primarily for commerce.

Examples

  • Many Roman basilicas were designed with a rectangular layout to accommodate large gatherings for civic functions.

  • The ancient Roman basilica served as a central location for public administration and legal proceedings.

  • There's no evidence to suggest the first two churches were anything more than conventional Roman basilicas: long rectangular naves with side aisles and pitched roofs built on wooden trusses.

    Academic text (2003)

  • In ancient Rome, citizens gathered in the Roman basilica to discuss important matters and resolve legal disputes.

Synonyms

basilica
vsRoman basilica
3 7.8

A large public Roman building for law and government

has identical meaning but uses 'law courts' phrasing rather than 'legal proceedings'

Surface Forms

Roman basilica singular
Roman basilicas plural

Morphology

Roman + basilica

The phrase is a straightforward modifier + noun composition: 'Roman' (pertaining to Rome) simply specifies the type/origin of the 'basilica' (a public Roman building). A B1 learner who knows both constituent meanings can directly infer that it refers to a basilica associated with Rome/ancient Rome, and this compositional pattern is cross-linguistically common.

Etymology

Roman basilica comes from ancient Rome and names the large public hall called a basilica, where people met for markets, business and 'law courts'. Picture a long hall with a high roof, officials at the front and people watching — that image explains why the term means a building used for city government, courts and public business today.