Apsis
//ˈæpsɪs// noun
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A recess or projection, with a dome or vault, at the east end of a church.
"Like Henry's collegiate church […] the cathedral is a cruciform basilica of the double bay system with four square bays in the central nave, western transoms, a quadrum for the choir, an apsis, and a transept with auxiliary apses."
- 2 a domed or vaulted recess or projection on a building especially the east end of a church; usually contains the altar wordnet
- 3 Either of the points in the elliptical orbit of a planet, comet, or moon where it is closest or furthest from the body it orbits; examples are perihelion, aphelion, perigee, and apogee.
Example
More examples"Like Henry's collegiate church […] the cathedral is a cruciform basilica of the double bay system with four square bays in the central nave, western transoms, a quadrum for the choir, an apsis, and a transept with auxiliary apses."
Etymology
From Latin apsis, hapsis, from Ancient Greek ἁψίς (hapsís, “arch, vault”). See also apse.
More for "apsis"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.