French word

édifier

Pronunciation

IPA/edifje/

Meaning

  • verbbuild

Example

Nous allons édifier une maison.

We are going to build a house.

Illustration for édifier (build)

More examples

L'entreprise va édifier un centre culturel qui accueillera des expositions.

The company is going to build a cultural center that will host exhibitions.

Core concept

A structure built upward from a foundation, with the same idea extending to a person's or institution's character.

Similar words

construire: To build a structure or facility in line with an architectural design.
bâtir: To build a sturdy structure intended to remain useful for a long time.

Definition in French

Ériger ou bâtir un édifice ; au sens figuré, éduquer ou élever moralement ou intellectuellement une personne ou une institution.

Word origin

Édifier comes through Old French from Latin aedificare, formed from aedis, 'building', and facere, 'to make'.

Usage tips

  • In figurative use, édifier quelqu'un means to elevate that person's moral or intellectual development and sounds formal compared with éduquer.

Other meanings

  • edifyverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word