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[aps]

See more synonyms for apse on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.
Astronomy. an apsis.

Origin of apse

First recorded in 1815–25; variant of apsis

Related formsap·si·dal

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for apse

heart, cranny, hollow, dent, cubicle, depression, slot, angle, closet, cavity, nook, cell, crutch, fork, opening, alcove, cove, break, mouth, hole

Examples from the Web for apse

Historical Examples of apse

This chapel was one of the most sunken and dark of the old Romanesque apse.
The Dream
Emile Zola
However, it was these portions of the transept and the apse which had the least suffered.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola
The apse, the last pillars, the giant piers themselves were felled!
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola
When we came into the choir and apse we found ourselves in the midst of complexity.
Out-of-Doors in the Holy Land
Henry Van Dyke
"I am talking of the Apse family," he answered, courteously.
A Set of Six
Joseph Conrad

British Dictionary definitions for apse

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noun

Also called: apsis a domed or vaulted semicircular or polygonal recess, esp at the east end of a church
astronomy another name for apsis (def. 1)

Derived Formsapsidal (æpˈsaɪdəl, ˈæpsɪdəl), adjective

Word Origin for apse

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

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

Word Origin and History for apse

"semicircular extension at the end of a church," 1846, from Latin apsis "an arch, a vault," from Greek hapsis (Ionic apsis) "loop, arch," originally "a fastening, felloe of a wheel," from haptein "fasten together," of unknown origin. The original sense in Greek seems to have been the joining of the arcs to form a circle, especially in making a wheel. The architectural term is earlier attested in English in the Latin form (1706).