ba·sil·i·ca
(bə-sili-kə)
(bə-sili-kə)n.
1.
a. A public building of ancient Rome having a central nave with an apse at one or both ends and two side aisles formed by rows of columns, which was used as a courtroom or assembly hall.
b. A Christian church building of a similar design, having a nave with a semicircular apse, two or four side aisles, a narthex, and a clerestory.
2. Roman Catholic Church A church that has been accorded certain privileges by the pope.
[Latin, fromGreekbasilike, from feminine ofbasilikos, royal, frombasileus, king.]
ba·sili·can(-kən)adj.
basilicaplan of the 4th-century ad
St. Peter's Basilica, Rome, Italy
A. apse
B. transept
C. nave
D. aisles
E. narthex
F. atrium