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[aps] /æps/
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.
Origin
1815-25; variant of apsis
Related forms
apsidal
[ap-si-dl] /ˈæp sɪ dl/ (Show IPA), adjective
apsidally, adverb
Examples from the web for apse
  • The right-hand apse is covered by one of the red domes.
  • She had a little dog, and the dog crossed the apse with us.
  • For now, the crossing and the chapels around the apse are open, reached through a shed that runs through the nave.
  • Short transept arms and a semicircular apse subtly reinforce the cruciform shape of the building.
  • The east elevation is dominated by a rectangular apse.
British Dictionary definitions for apse

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/æps/
noun
1.
Also called apsis. a domed or vaulted semicircular or polygonal recess, esp at the east end of a church
2.
(astronomy) another name for apsis (sense 1)
Derived Forms
apsidal (æpˈsaɪdəl; ˈæpsɪdəl) adjective
Word Origin
C19: from Latin apsis, from Greek: a fitting together, arch, from haptein to fasten
Word Origin and History for apse
n.

"semicircular extension at the end of a church," 1846, from Latin apsis "an arch, a vault," from Greek hapsis (Ionic apsis) "loop, arch," originally "a fastening, felloe of a wheel," from haptein "fasten together," of unknown origin. The original sense in Greek seems to have been the joining of the arcs to form a circle, especially in making a wheel. The architectural term is earlier attested in English in the Latin form (1706).

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