transept

[ tran-sept ]

/ ˈtræn sɛpt /

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.

Nearby words

Origin of transept

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

Related formstran·sep·tal, adjectivetran·sep·tal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for transept

The tower was doubtless erected about the same time as the transept.
Scottish Cathedrals and Abbeys|Dugald Butler and Herbert Story
The crossing of the nave and transept is covered with a dome carried on squinches, which dates from the first building.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 4|Various
A built-up doorway may be noticed under the first window from the west of this transept.
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Winchester|Philip Walsingham Sergeant
Transept, the division of a church running north and south, forming the arms of a cross.
The Children of Westminster Abbey|Rose G. Kingsley

The aisles around the transept form the most imposing part of the church.
How France Built Her Cathedrals|Elizabeth Boyle O'Reilly

British Dictionary definitions for transept

transept

/ (ˈtrænsɛpt) /

noun

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

Derived Formstranseptal, 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

Word Origin and History for transept

transept

"transverse section of a cruciform church," 1530s, from Medieval Latin transeptum, from Latin trans- "across" (see trans-) + saeptum "fence, partition, enclosure" (see septum). Rare before 1700.