rotunda

[ roh-tuhn-duh ]

noun

1. a round building, especially one with a dome.
2. a large and high circular hall or room in a building, especially one surmounted by a dome.

rotunda

/ rəʊˈtʌndə /

noun

1. a building or room having a circular plan, esp one that has a dome

Word History and Origins

Origin of rotunda¹

1680–90; alteration of Italian rotonda, noun use of feminine of rotondo < Latin rotundus rotund

Word History and Origins

Origin of rotunda¹

C17: from Italian rotonda , from Latin rotundus round, from rota a wheel

Example Sentences

Thirty-five years after she first set the Guggenheim’s rotunda ablaze with an electronic text racing along its spiral ramp, Jenny Holzer is reprising the installation, and turning up the heat.

From New York Times

Administrators do have to deny permits to wedding couples with especially creative ideas: no ziplines in the rotunda.

From Los Angeles Times

Perfetti, in monochromatic black sweats, T-shirt and baseball cap, is just four steps into the rotunda, under the shadow of the museum’s famous Three Graces statue by Julia Bracken Wendt, when he is recognized.

From Los Angeles Times

The rotunda was closed after the episode, which cost more than $50,000 to clean up, prosecutors said.

From New York Times

Two circular rotunda buildings, one of the them in the shadow of Glasgow's famous Finnieston Crane, mark the exit and entry points for the Victorian subterranean river crossing.

From BBC

Related Words

• entrance
• foyer
• gallery
• hallway
• lobby
• room