Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

edifice

/ˈɛd.ɪ.fɪs/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.93 in modern English

Syllables: ed-i-fice
IPA: /ˈɛd.ɪ.fɪs/

13

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

3

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

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

noun

An abstract structure, such as a school of thought, an argument, a theoretical position, etc.

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."

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).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: *h₂eydʰ-, *dʰeh₁-, edifice, aedificium

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈɛd.ɪ.fɪs/
British English: /ˈɛd.ɪ.fɪs/

Inflected Forms

edifices (plural) ædifice (alternative, archaic)

Phrases

edifice complex

Frequently Paired Words

edificant edification edificator edificatory edificial edifier edify edifyingly

Synonyms

building

Questions

How do you pronounce edifice?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɛd.ɪ.fɪs/.
What does edifice mean?: A building; a structure; an architectural fabric, especially a large and spectacular one.
Where does edifice come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce edifice

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “edifice”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɛd.ɪ.fɪs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “edifice”.
Repeat and practice — Say “edifice” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.