basilica

Pronunciation

• IPA: /bəˈsɪlɪkə/ (UK)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin basilica (“public hall; building of a court of justice”),^[2][3][4][5] from Ancient Greek βασιλική (basilikḗ), short for βασιλικὴ στοά (basilikḕ stoá, “royal portico”) or βασιλικὴ οἰκία (basilikḕ oikía, “royal house”),^[3][4][6][7] the feminine of βασιλικός (basilikós, “royal”), from βασιλεύς (basileús, “king”).^{[2][3][4][5][8]} Klein thinks the Greek word for “king” possibly a loanword from a language of Asia Minor.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

In ancient history, a royal palace, and then a large oblong hall with double colonnades and an apse, used as a court of justice and place of public assembly (1541 in the OED, Barnhart and Merriam-Webster).^[9][3][5]

Semantic evolution

In Athens the royal portico was that of the archon basileus, the official who dispensed justice.^[3][4] The first Roman basilica, the Basilica Porcia, was built by Cato the censor in 184 BC after a visit to Athens.^[10] Many Roman halls of justice were later handed over to the Christians as churches, so the word came to mean a church of that plan (1563).^[4][9] In Rome it was applied especially to the seven churches founded by Constantine,^[11] and in the Roman Catholic Church it became a title of honour given by the pope to certain churches.^[2][5][7]

Timeline

• 1541 – an ancient royal hall or court of justice.^[9][3][5]
• 1563 – a church built on this plan.^[9]
• 1625 – the basilic vein (obsolete).^[9]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A public building of ancient Rome, oblong with a central nave, side aisles formed by colonnades and an apse, used as a court of law or assembly hall.
2. An early Christian or medieval church of similar plan, with a nave, aisles, apse, narthex and clerestory.
3. A Roman Catholic church granted certain ceremonial privileges by the pope.

Word family

• basilican

Related words

• basil
• basilisk
• Basil
• cathedral

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
7. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
8. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
9. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
10. ^ Merriam-Webster's Book of Word Histories, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
11. ^ Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray