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[ aps ]
/ æps /
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.
Nearby words
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. 2019
Examples from the Web for apse
British Dictionary definitions for apse
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/ (æps) /
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
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Word Origin and History for apse
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"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).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper