[noun] [C] [formal] - a large building, esp. a splendid one, or (figurative) a system which has been established for a long timeThe town hall is the only edifice surviving from the fifteenth century.(figurative) It looks as if the whole political edifice of the country is about to collapse.
EDIFICE
Meaning of EDIFICE in English
Cambridge English vocab. Кембриджский английский словарь. 2012