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[ aps ]
See synonyms for apse on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Architecture. a semicircular or polygonal termination or recess in a building, usually vaulted and used especially at the end of a choir in a church.

  2. Astronomy. an apsis.

Origin of apse

1
First recorded in 1815–25; variant of apsis

Other words from apse

  • ap·si·dal [ap-si-dl], /ˈæp sɪ dl/, adjective
  • ap·si·dal·ly, adverb

Words Nearby apse

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use apse in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for apse

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/ (æps) /


noun
  1. Also called: apsis a domed or vaulted semicircular or polygonal recess, esp at the east end of a church

  2. astronomy another name for apsis (def. 1)

Origin of apse

1
C19: from Latin apsis, from Greek: a fitting together, arch, from haptein to fasten

Derived forms of apse

  • apsidal (æpˈsaɪdəl, ˈæpsɪdəl), adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012