cathedral
n. countablen. the main church of a large area, which is usually very big and beautiful. It is the official home of a high-ranking church leader called a bishop.
n. the principal church of a diocese, containing the cathedra or official throne of a bishop. Often used to describe any large, architecturally significant church building regardless of its current administrative status.
The city is famous for its beautiful Gothic cathedral.
Tourists often gather in the square to admire the stained glass windows of the medieval cathedral.
The cathedral stands as a testament to centuries of architectural evolution, blending Romanesque foundations with soaring Gothic arches and intricate Renaissance carvings.
From Middle English cathedral, chathedral, cathiderall, from Old French [Term?], from Latin cathedrālis, from cathedra + -ālis, from Ancient Greek καθέδρα (kathédra, “chair of a teacher, throne”).
Ellipsis of cathedral church, from Middle English chirche cathederall, cathedrall chirch, calque of Late Latin ecclēsia cathedrālis (“church serving as the bishop's or archbishop's office”), from Latin ecclēsia + cathedrālis. Displaced Old English hēafodċiriċe (literally “main church, head church”).
Often used as a proper noun when referring to a specific building, such as 'St. Paul's Cathedral'.