Etymologically
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basilica

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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
  • 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