transept

[ tran-sept ]

/ ˈtræn sɛpt /

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noun Architecture.

any major transverse part of the body of a church, usually crossing the nave, at right angles, at the entrance to the choir.

an arm of this, on either side of the central aisle of a church.

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Origin of transept

From the Anglo-Latin word trānseptum, dating back to 1530–40. See trans-, septum

OTHER WORDS FROM transept

tran·sep·tal, adjectivetran·sep·tal·ly, adverb

Words nearby transept

transect, transelement, transelementate, transempirical, transenna, transept, transesterification, transeunt, transf., trans-fat, trans-fatty acid

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

How to use transept in a sentence

Passing round the south face of the transept, we come to the apsidal chapel attached to its eastern wall.
Bell's Cathedrals: A Short Account of Romsey Abbey|Thomas Perkins
The Nave has seven bays, to the east of which is the transept, and beyond it the choir, which has three bays.
Bell's Cathedrals: A Short Account of Romsey Abbey|Thomas Perkins
On the east side of the north arm of the transept a more elaborate arrangement of one of the arches may be seen.
Bell's Cathedrals: A Short Account of Romsey Abbey|Thomas Perkins
The arch at the east end of the triforium on the south side, which opens out to the transept, is worthy of special notice.
Bell's Cathedrals: A Short Account of Romsey Abbey|Thomas Perkins

At each end of the transept there are circular lights of condensed though pleasant proportions.
Our Churches and Chapels|Atticus

British Dictionary definitions for transept

transept

/ (ˈtrænsɛpt) /

noun

either of the two wings of a cruciform church at right angles to the nave

Derived forms of transept

transeptal, adjective

Word Origin for transept

C16: from Anglo-Latin transeptum, from Latin trans- + saeptum enclosure

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