edifice

C2 Topic:General Vocabulary

US /ˈɛdəfəs/ UK /ˈɛd.ɪ.fɪs/ See IPA manual

Freq #43643

Meanings

1

noun
A building, especially a large and impressive one.

The cathedral is a vast stone edifice towering over the old town.
2

noun
A complex system of ideas, beliefs, or arguments.

His new evidence threatened to topple the whole edifice of the theory.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a building, especially a... building structure

Word family

Forms edifices

Related forms edificantedification edificator edificatory edificial edifier edify edifyingly edifyingness

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

imposing edifice
a large building whose scale or appearance commands attention

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Middle English edifice, from Old French edifice, a classical borrowing of Latin aedificium (“building”), derived from aedificāre (“to build, establish”) (whence also English edify).

*h₂eydʰ- Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European edifice Middle English aedificium Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# edifice

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈɛdəfəs/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈɛd.ɪ.fɪs/
**Frequency rank:** 43643

## Meanings
1. A building, especially a large and impressive one.
2. A complex system of ideas, beliefs, or arguments.

## Examples
- The cathedral is a vast stone edifice towering over the old town.
- His new evidence threatened to topple the whole edifice of the theory.

## Related Forms
- edificant
- edification
- edificator
- edificatory
- edificial
- edifier
- edify
- edifyingly
- edifyingness

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *h₂eydʰ-
- Root: *dʰeh₁-
- Root: edifice
- Root: aedificium

## Etymology
From Middle English edifice, from Old French edifice, a classical borrowing of Latin aedificium (“building”), derived from aedificāre (“to build, establish”) (whence also English edify).

## AI Etymology
Edifice is from Middle English edifice, from Old French edifice, a classical borrowing of Latin aedificium (“building”), derived from aedificāre (“to build, establish”) (whence also English edify). Important recorded forms include *h₂eydʰ- (Proto-Indo-European), *dʰeh₁- (Proto-Indo-European), edifice (Middle English), and aedificium (Latin). Current senses include a building, especially a large and impressive one and a complex system of ideas, beliefs, or arguments. The wider family includes related words such as edificant, edification, edificator, edificatory, and edificial.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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