apsis

[ ap-sis ]

/ ˈæp sɪs /

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noun, plural ap·si·des

[ap-si-deez]. /ˈæp sɪˌdiz/.

Astronomy. either of two points in an eccentric orbit, one (higher apsis ) farthest from the center of attraction, the other (lower apsis ) nearest to the center of attraction.

Architecture. an apse.

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Origin of apsis

1595–1605; <Latin <Greek hapsís (felloe of) a wheel, arch, vault, originally, fastening, equivalent to háp(tein) to fasten + -sis-sis

Words nearby apsis

A.P.S.A., Apsaras, apse, apsidal motion, apsidiole, apsis, Ap star, Apsu, Apsyrtus, apt, apteral

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use apsis in a sentence

The nave of the chapel is in tolerably good preservation, but the apsis has suffered severely from damp.
George Eliot's Life, Vol. II (of 3)|George Eliot
The tomb is in the wall, behind a range of pillars, which form a kind of open screen round the apsis.
Account of a Tour in Normandy, Vol. I. (of 2)|Dawson Turner
But the choir and apsis were previously of a different æra from the rest of the edifice.
Account of a Tour in Normandy, Vol. II. (of 2)|Dawson Turner
The seven-sided apsis with ambulatory, on which open out seven pentagonal radiating chapels.
Amiens Before and During the War|Michelin & Cie

Between the apsis and the nave stood the altar, or rather the common table, canopied by a baldachin supported by columns.
A Manual of the Historical Development of Art|G. G. (Gustavus George) Zerffi

British Dictionary definitions for apsis

apsis

/ (ˈæpsɪs) /

noun plural apsides (æpˈsaɪdiːz, ˈæpsɪˌdiːz)

Also called: apse either of two points lying at the extremities of an eccentric orbit of a planet, satellite, etc, such as the aphelion and perihelion of a planet or the apogee and perigee of the moon. The line of apsides connects two such points and is the principal axis of the orbit

another name for apse (def. 1)

Derived forms of apsis

apsidal (æpˈsaɪdəl, ˈæpsɪdəl), adjective

Word Origin for apsis

C17: via Latin from Greek; see apse

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

Scientific definitions for apsis

apsis

[ ăp′sĭs ]

Plural apsides (ăp′sĭ-dēz′)

In the path of an orbiting body, either of the two points at which it is closest to or farthest away from the body it is orbiting. See also apoapsis periapsis.