BASILICA

noun Etymology: Latin, from Greek basilikē, from feminine of basilikos royal, from basileus king Date: 1541 an oblong building ending in a semicircular apse used in ancient Rome especially for a court of justice and place of public assembly, an early Christian church building consisting of nave and aisles with clerestory and a large high transept from which an apse projects, a Roman Catholic church given ceremonial privileges, ~n adjective