Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Basilica \Ba*sil"i*ca\, n.; pl. {Basilicas}; sometimes
   {Basilic[ae]} (-s[=e]). [L. basilica, Gr. ? ( sc. ?, or ?)
   fr. ? royal, fr. ? king.]
   Originally, the place 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.

   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.