courthouse
[C] Countable
pl: courthouses
This term evokes a sense of civic authority and formal bureaucracy. It refers specifically to the physical architecture and the administrative hub of the legal system, rather than the abstract concept of the law or the specific trial occurring inside. While a court is the legal body or the proceeding itself, the courthouse is the brick-and-mortar structure. It carries a connotation of sobriety, public record, and the intersection of government power and citizen rights.
Used to count individual government buildings designated for judicial functions in different cities or districts.