building (n.)

c. 1300, "a structure;" late 14c., "act or process of constructing;" verbal noun from build (v.). Building-block is attested from 1846 as "one of a set of children's play blocks;" 1849 as "temporary support on which a ship's keel rests while the ship is being constructed;" 1856 as "cinder-block, concrete block, artificial stone block used in building construction." The figurative sense of "basic unit from which something is constructed" is by 1955.

also from c. 1300

Entries linking to building

build (v.)

Middle English bilden, from late Old English byldan "construct a house," verb form of bold "house," from Proto-Germanic *buthla- (source also of Old Saxon bodl, Old Frisian bodel "building, house"), from PIE *bhu- "to dwell," from root*bheue- "to be, exist, grow."

Rare in Old English; in Middle English it won out over the more common Old English timbran (see timber). The modern spelling is unexplained. Figurative use is from mid-15c. Of physical things other than buildings from late 16c. Related: Builded (archaic); built; building.

In the United States, this verb is used with much more latitude than in England. There, as Fennimore Cooper puts it, everything is BUILT. The priest BUILDS up a flock; the speculator a fortune; the lawyer a reputation; the landlord a town; and the tailor, as in England, BUILDS up a suit of clothes. A fire is BUILT instead of made, and the expression is even extended to individuals, to be BUILT being used with the meaning of formed. [Farmer, "Slang and Its Analogues," 1890]

abuilding (adj.)

also a-building, "in the process of being built," 1530s, from a- (1) + building (n.) in the "process of construction" sense.

outbuilding (n.)

also out-building, "a detached or subordinate building," 1620s, from out- + building (n.).

Trends of building

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

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edifice

late 14c., from Old French edifice "building" (12c.), from Latin aedificium "building," from aedificare "to erect a building," from aedis, variant of aedes "temple, sanctuary," usually a single edifice without partitions, also, in the plural, "dwelling house, building," originall

construction

late 14c., construccioun, "act of construing; manner of understanding the arrangement of words in translation" (a sense now obsolete), from Latin constructionem (nominative constructio) "a putting or placing together, a building," noun of action from past-participle stem of const

construction

edification

mid-14c., in religious use, "a building up of the soul," from Old French edificacion "a building, construction; edification..., good example," and directly from Latin aedificationem (nominative aedificatio) "construction, the process of building;...a building, an edifice," in Late Latin "spiritual improvement," from past participle stem of aedificare "to build" (see edifice...Literal sense of "building" is rare in English, but Middle English bilding sometimes was used in religious writing to translate...

structure

mid-15c., "action or process of building or construction;" 1610s, "that which is constructed, a building or edifice;" from...Latin structura "a fitting together, adjustment; a building, mode of building;" figuratively, "arrangement, order," from...

museum

1610s, "the university building in Alexandria," from Latin museum "library, study," from Greek mouseion "place of study,...The earliest use in reference to English institutions was of libraries for scholarly study (1640s); the sense of "building...or part of a building set aside as a repository and display place for objects relating to art, literature, or science" is...

basilica

1540s, "type of building based on the Athenian royal portico, large oblong building with double columns and a semicircular...porch at the end," from Latin basilica "building of a court of justice," from Greek (stoa) basilike "royal (portal)."...In Rome, the style of building used for halls of justice, many of which were subsequently appropriated as churches, and so...

wing

late 12c., wenge, "forelimb fitted for flight of a bird or bat," also the part of some insects resembling a wing in form or function, from Old Norse vængr "wing of a bird, aisle, etc." (cognate with Danish and Swedish vinge "wing"), of unknown origin, perhaps from a Proto-Germani

dust

"fine, dry particles of earth or other matter so light that they can be raised and carried by the wind," Old English dust, from Proto-Germanic *dunstaz (source also of Old High German tunst "storm, breath," German Dunst "mist, vapor," Danish dyst "milldust," Dutch duist), from PI

stud

[post; also ornamental knob] Middle English stode, from Old English studu "pillar, prop, post, upright timber used as a support," from Proto-Germanic *stud- (source also of Old Norse stoð "staff, stick," properly "stay," Middle High German stud, Old English stow "place"), from PI

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updated on October 26, 2022

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