From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
basilica
n 1: an early Christian church designed like a Roman basilica;
or a Roman Catholic church or cathedral accorded certain
privileges; "the church was raised to the rank of basilica"
2: a Roman building used for public administration [syn:
basilica, Roman basilica]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Basilica \Ba*sil"i*ca\, n.; pl. Basilicas; sometimes
{Basilic[ae]} (-s[=e]). [L. basilica, Gr. basilikh` (sc.
o'iki`a or stoa` fr. basiliko`s royal, fr. basiley`s king.]
1. Originally, the palace of a king; but afterward, an
apartment provided in the houses of persons of importance,
where assemblies were held for dispensing justice; and
hence, any large hall used for this purpose.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Arch.)
(a) A building used by the Romans as a place of public
meeting, with court rooms, etc., attached.
(b) A church building of the earlier centuries of
Christianity, the plan of which was taken from the
basilica of the Romans. The name is still applied to
some churches by way of honorary distinction.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Basilica \Ba*sil"i*ca\, n.
A digest of the laws of Justinian, translated from the
original Latin into Greek, by order of Basil I., in the ninth
century. --P. Cyc.
[1913 Webster]