Also 6–8 ædifice, 7 edifyce. [a. F. édifice, ad. L. ædificium, f. ædis temple, house + -ficium making.]
1. A building, usually a large and stately building, as a church, palace, temple or fortress; a fabric, structure.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Melib., ¶ 367. Castelles and othere manere edifices.
1475. Caxton, Jason (1477), 71. And with this they shal ordeyn solempne edifices and houses for the cite.
1538. Leland, Itin., IV. 72. The ædifices of the Abbey have beene made by many men in continuance.
1598. Shaks., Merry W., II. ii. 225. I haue lost my edifice, by mistaking the place, where I erected it.
1605. Sir J. Harington, View State Irel. (1879), 19. Hee cold not preach to edefye the Church yet hee will bee famows to all posterytye for edifyces in the Church.
1621. Burton, Anat. Mel., II. ii. IV. (1651), 270. The inner roomes of a fair-built and sumptuous ædifice.
1711. Dissenting Teachers Addr. agst. Bill for 50 new Churches, 10. Shall this be done for a few ungodly steepled Ædifices?
1796. H. Hunter, trans. St.-Pierre’s Stud. Nat. (1799), I. 128. For you will see under water … the ruins of many edifices.
1849. Freeman, Archit., 14. A moist and a dry climate require different kinds of edifices.
b. transf. and fig.
1711. Addison, Spect., No. 98, ¶ 1. I am not for adding to the beautiful Edifices of Nature.
1845. Sarah Austin, trans. Ranke’s Hist. Ref., II. 485. The edifice of a new church must have been raised on a purely democratical basis.
1868. M. Pattison, Academ. Org., § 5. 223. Upon the integrity and judgment of these Quinqueviri will depend really the whole edifice of the university.
1878. Morley, Carlyle, Crit. Misc., Ser. I. 197. The corner-stone of Comte’s edifice.
† 2. a. The action or process of building or construction. b. Style of building, architecture.
1580. North, Plutarch (1612), 474. The arsenall and armorie … being of a strange and wonderfull edifice.
1663. Gerbier, Counsel, 2. How … Princes and Magistrates have proceeded in their Edifices.
