transept

American  

[tran-sept] / ˈtræn sɛpt /

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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transept British  

/ ˈtrænsɛpt /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• transeptal adjective
• transeptally adverb

Etymology

Origin of transept

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

Example Sentences

Four weeks later, on the day of the concert, Hulthage purchased a tuxedo but had yet to change as he helped set up chairs for the strings in the transept of Westwood United Methodist Church.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2025

The restoration lasted over a year, and in that time the cathedral was turned into a bit of a building site, with a maze of scaffolds set up on the altar and transept.

From BBC • Dec. 23, 2024

More than three years after the massive blaze, eight glass manufactures from France have begun the painstaking operation to clean and restore 39 high windows in the medieval cathedral's nave, choir, transept and sacristy.

From Reuters • Sep. 3, 2022

Bearing 55 pounds of gear and a breathing pipe on her shoulder, she climbed the dark staircase in the transept on the cathedral’s north side.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 17, 2019

By 1280 the choir was ready for the construction of the vaulted ceiling and the foundation of the transept was begun.

From "Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction" by David Macaulay