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basilicas

[buh-sil-i-kuh, -zil-] Origin

ba·sil·i·ca

[buh-sil-i-kuh, -zil-]
noun
1.
an early Christian or medieval church of the type built especially in Italy, characterized by a plan including a nave, two or four side aisles, a semicircular apse, a narthex, and often other features, as a short transept, a number of small semicircular apses terminating the aisles, or an atrium. The interior is characterized by strong horizontality, with little or no attempt at rhythmic accents. All spaces are usually covered with timber roofs or ceilings except for the apse or apses, which are vaulted.
2.
one of the seven main churches of Rome or another Roman Catholic church accorded the same religious privileges.
3.
(in ancient Rome) a large oblong building used as a hall of justice and public meeting place.

Origin:
1535–45; < Latin < Greek basilikḗ hall, short for basilikḗ oikía royal house. See basilic
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Basilicas is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

basilica
1540s, from L. basilica "building of a court of justice," and, by extension, church built on the plan of one, from Gk. (stoa) basilike "royal (portal)," the portico of the archon basileus, the official who dispensed justice in Athens, from basileus "king" (see Basil). In Rome,
EXPAND
applied specifically to the seven principal churches founded by Constantine.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
basilica [(buh-sil-uh-kuh)]

A large Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox church building. A basilica is built with several parallel aisles separated by rows of columns, ending in a semicircular structure, the apse. Saint Peter's Basilica is the church of the Vatican in Rome.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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