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View synonyms for apse

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[ aps ]

noun

  1. Architecture. a semicircular or polygonal termination or recess in a building, usually vaulted and used especially at the end of a choir in a church.
  2. Astronomy. an apsis.


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/ æps; ˈæpsɪdəl; æpˈsaɪdəl /

noun

  1. Also calledapsis a domed or vaulted semicircular or polygonal recess, esp at the east end of a church
  2. astronomy another name for apsis
“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


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Derived Forms

  • apsidal, adjective
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Other Words From

  • ap·si·dal [ap, -si-dl], adjective
  • apsi·dal·ly adverb
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Word History and Origins

Origin of apse1

First recorded in 1815–25; variant of apsis
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Word History and Origins

Origin of apse1

C19: from Latin apsis, from Greek: a fitting together, arch, from haptein to fasten
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Example Sentences

The nave and porch were floored with plain red tesserae: in the apse was a simple mosaic panel in red, black and white.

The archway of the south transept apse is now the entrance to St. Catherine's Chapel.

He walked across to the grave-yard under a blackened wall—a bit of the apse of the vanished church—and sat down on a grave-stone.

The Ducal Palace begins to show mouldings on both sides, 28, 31; and 35 is a complete arch moulding from the apse of the Frari.

The apse was developed from the somewhat similar part of the Roman basilic, in which the magistrate (prtor) sat.

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Apsarasapsidal motion