The noun οἰκοδομία carries two related senses: the process of building (construction work) and the result of that process (a building or edifice). It derives from οἰκοδομέω, 'to build a house,' and shares the semantic range between action and product common to -ία nouns. In metaphorical extension, it can refer to edification or spiritual building-up, though that theological sense may be developed more fully in New Testament usage than in classical contexts.