rotunda

noun

ro·​tun·​da rō-ˈtən-də 

1

: a round building

especially : one covered by a dome

2

a

: a large round room

b

: a large central area (as in a hotel)

Examples of rotunda in a Sentence

We stood inside the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol Building.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Nashville institution announced the 2025 inductees during a press conference Tuesday morning in the Hall’s rotunda, where the plaques honoring the new class will be installed later this year. —Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2025

After a toast led by Marine Kyle Carpenter, the nation’s youngest living Medal of Honor recipient, guests gathered in the museum’s rotunda. —Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Mar. 2025

At the base of the rotunda, serving as an alpha and omega, is Arthur Jafa’s 2016 video Love is the message, the message is Death. —Mark Guiducci, Vogue, 17 Mar. 2025

The central creation will be a large-scale floral design created in the museum’s rotunda by husband and wife artists Natasha Lisitsa and Daniel Schultz. —Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Italian rotonda, from Latin rotunda, feminine of rotundus

First Known Use

circa 1566, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing rotunda

• fenestra rotunda

Rhymes for rotunda

• lunda
• munda

Kids Definition

rotunda

noun

ro·​tun·​da rō-ˈtən-də 

1

: a round building

especially : one covered by a dome

2

a

: a large round room

b

: a large central area (as in a hotel)

Medical Definition

rotunda

see fenestra rotunda