edifice

Definition

A building; a structure; an architectural fabric, especially a large and spectacular one.

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).

Example Sentences

• "The real difficulty was moral, not intellectual. Was the whole edifice of Ptolemy to be destroyed?"
• "With a great thump on the table, Poirot demolished his carefully built up edifice."

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