(bə·sil′i·kə) noun
1. Originally, in ancient Athens, a portico used as a court of justice.
2. In ancient Rome, a rectangular building divided into nave and aisles: used as a hall of justice and adopted as the type of the earliest buildings for Christian worship.
3. A church shaped like a Roman basilica.
4. In the Roman Catholic Church, a church accorded certain liturgical privileges. [<L <Gk. basilikē, fem. of basilikos royal]
—ba·sil′i·can adjective

(bə·sil′i·kə) noun
The Byzantine code of law of Basil I (9th century), chiefly adapted from that of Justinian: a plural used also as a singular. [<Gk. basilika (nomima) (laws) of Basil]