diplomatic building
- noun
- /ˌdɪpləˈmætɪk ˈbɪldɪŋ/
- She worked long hours in the diplomatic building to prepare for the upcoming international summit.
Examples
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The ambassador hosted a dinner at the diplomatic building to strengthen relations between the two countries.
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What they mean by "your country" is usually dear enough when I note our conversation takes place in a diplomatic building guarded (thank God!) by U.S. Marines, under an American flag, next to a picture of the incumbent President, who helped appoint the boss of the official who speaks, but who I most likely opposed in the last election.
Academic text (1993) -
During the tour, we visited a historic diplomatic building that served as the site for peace negotiations.
Synonyms
A building and people who represent their country in a foreign country
A building where a foreign country's official helps its citizens with passports and legal problems
A group of people sent by one country to represent it in another at an embassy or consulate
A permanent diplomatic office in another country led by a minister rather than an ambassador
The office and staff who represent a country in a foreign land
A permanent office in another country that represents its government and helps with official relations
How Official
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a government building where diplomats live or work' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'diplomatic' (related to diplomacy/foreign relations) with 'building' (a physical edifice). This adjective+noun composition follows a standard, cross-linguistic pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both words should be able to infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Diplomatic building comes from the idea of a special house for diplomats. Long ago, ambassadors and other diplomats lived and worked in safe houses called 'embassies' or 'consulates', so diplomatic building became the name for a government place where they live and work.