chevet

American  

[shuh-vey] / ʃəˈveɪ /

noun

1. an apse, as of a Gothic cathedral.

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chevet British  

/ ʃəˈveɪ /

noun

1. a semicircular or polygonal east end of a church, esp a French Gothic church, often with a number of attached apses

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Etymology

Origin of chevet

1800–10; < French, earlier chevès, Old French chevez ≪ Latin capitium opening or covering for the head. See caput

Example Sentences

Chunks of limestone lay on the ground, having fallen from the upper part of the chevet, or the eastern end of the Gothic church.

From Time • Nov. 29, 2

The choir, chevet, and chapels, while existent to a visible and very beautiful degree, are somewhat overshadowed by the great size of the transepts.

From The Cathedrals of Northern France by McManus, Blanche

Though the apse is all but universal, the French chevet, with its crown of clustering chapels, was not adopted in Italy.

From Architecture Gothic and Renaissance by Smith, T. Roger (Thomas Roger)

Indeed, it has been questioned as to whether the choir106 and chevet of Notre Dame de Paris is not the most beautiful extant.

From The Cathedrals of Northern France by McManus, Blanche

The original choir was pulled down in the 14th century, and a magnificent chevet of the French type erected in its place.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 4 "Aram, Eugene" to "Arcueil" by Various