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transept

[tran-sept]
noun Architecture.
  1. any major transverse part of the body of a church, usually crossing the nave, at right angles, at the entrance to the choir.
  2. 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
Related formstran·sep·tal, adjectivetran·sep·tal·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for transept

Historical Examples of transept

  • However, it was these portions of the transept and the apse which had the least suffered.

    The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete

    Emile Zola

  • Next, Pierre turned into the transept on the left, where stand the confessionals.

  • There is an attractive window in this transept, the gift of Edward IV.

  • Its total length is about 265 feet with a transept of about 109 feet long.

    Portuguese Architecture

    Walter Crum Watson

  • Only the chancel with its flanking chapels and the transept have been built.

    Portuguese Architecture

    Walter Crum Watson

British Dictionary definitions for transept

transept

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

n.

"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.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper