What does rotunda mean?
Word: Rotunda
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Rotunda means a round building or hall, especially one with a curved roof.
How do you spell rotunda?
Syllables: ro - tun - da
Tricky part: The last sound is a weak uh, spelt with a plain a. Pupils sometimes write er or add an h.
Watch out for: rotunder, rotundah
Memory tip: Picture a panda strolling round a rotunda: the two words close on the same plain a.
Rotunda in a sentence
Example 1: The old town hall has a rotunda where exhibitions are held.
Example 2: We met our guide in the marble rotunda of the museum.
Example 3: Sunlight poured through the glass roof of the shopping centre's rotunda.
Fun Fact
English borrowed the word from Italian in the 1600s. The Capitol in Washington, DC, has perhaps the best-known example, a huge circular hall at its centre.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
r_t_nda
a) u, u
b) a, u
c) o, a
d) o, u
Show answer
d) o, u. Say it ro-tun-da, with the vowel of sun in the stressed beat.
Word Cookie
One letter in this word is not needed. Find it:
rottunda
a) o
b) n
c) d
d) t
Show answer
d) t. The first consonant after ro is a single one.
Mingle-Mangle
The sentence contains a jumbled word. Choose the word it hides:
Visitors gather under the painted ceiling in the dutnora of the old state library.
a) rotation
b) rosette
c) tundra
d) rotunda
Show answer
d) rotunda. Seven letters with a d, an n and a u: tundra is one letter short and the others do not fit.
Spell-o-Spell
Three words in the list are spelt correctly and one is misspelt. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word.
1. colonade 2. rotunda 3. courtyard 4. veranda
a) an open space with walls or buildings around it
b) a roofed platform along the side of a house
c) a circular hall under a high roof
d) a row of columns, usually holding up a roof
Show answer
d) a row of columns, usually holding up a roof. Colonnade needs a double n.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What most often tops a rotunda?
a) a flagstaff
b) a chimney
c) a bell
d) a dome
Show answer
d) a dome
2. The rotunda of a shopping centre is most likely to be ____.
a) a narrow passage behind the shops
b) a storeroom in the basement
c) a circular hall where walkways meet
d) a flat roof used for parking
Show answer
c) a circular hall where walkways meet
