apse

[ aps ]

/ æps /

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.

Words related to apse

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

Words nearby apse

après, après moi le déluge, après-midi d'un faune, l', après-ski, apsaras, apse, apsidal motion, apsidiole, apsis, apsu, apsyrtus

Origin of apse

First recorded in 1815–25; variant of apsis

OTHER WORDS FROM apse

ap·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

Seven windows of the nave and four of the apse deal with Old Testament history: three at the end of the apse with the New.
The Story of Paris|Thomas Okey
Some similar work is still to be seen in one of the windows of the apse.
Some Account of Gothic Architecture in Spain|George Edmund Street
The mosaics in the apse were the work of F. Zucchero, in the sixteenth century, and are perhaps the best of modern mosaics.
Walks in Rome|Augustus J.C. Hare
The most elaborate design and richest color is used in the apse, which was the centre of display in all Byzantine churches.
The Brochure Series of Architectural Illustration, Volume 01, No. 03, March 1895|Various

To him may be attributed the towers, choir, apse, and nave of the Norman building.
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Exeter|Percy Addleshaw

British Dictionary definitions for apse

apse

/ (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 forms of apse

apsidal (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