apse

\ ˈaps

How to pronounce apse (audio)

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Definition of apse

1 : apsis sense 1

2 : a projecting part of a building (such as a church) that is usually semicircular in plan and vaulted

Examples of apse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web As in a Gothic cathedral, the living room acts as a kind of apse from which the chapels of the dining room, entertainment room, and kitchen all radiate. — Charles Curkin, ELLE Decor, "Discover Lofty Views in a New York City Super-Tall Skyscraper," 20 Nov. 2019 To the right and left of the apse are Coptic inscriptions. — Jim Berkeley, Town & Country, "How to Plan a Trip to Egypt," 5 Oct. 2016 Visitors enter through a narrow passage into a spare, traditional looking chapel whose apse wall is pockmarked with charcoal pieces framing a wooden cross. — Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times, "The Most Surprising Entry in Venice’s Architecture Biennale? The Vatican’s," 25 May 2018 At the east end of the wide nave, once covered by two domes, is the large apse, with three rectangular niches under semi-domes. — Jim Berkeley, Town & Country, "How to Plan a Trip to Egypt," 5 Oct. 2016 It is posed in glorious isolation, back to the viewer, in a stone apse. — Laura Jacobs, WSJ, "‘Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination’ Review: A Gift From the Sartorial Gods," 10 May 2018 The reception area and a wine bar occupy the original nave and apse of the church, while a superb open-walled breakfast room and library fill an upstairs mezzanine. — Alice Newell-hanson, Condé Nast Traveler, "19 Hotels That Used to Be Churches, Temples, and More," 29 Mar. 2018 There’s even a sort of font near the apse/prow of the gallery: a circular pool of clear oil in which hundreds of tiny steel bearings are gently nudged into geometries by a magnet circling beneath the surface. — Steve Mannheimer, Indianapolis Star, "New art installation at Herron Gallery uses VHS tape to make your eyes buzz," 22 Mar. 2018 The officials also inaugurated the Mosaic of the Transfiguration situated in the eastern apse of the monastery’s great basilica. — Samy Magdy, The Seattle Times, "Egypt reopens ancient library in Sinai after renovations," 16 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'apse.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

5 Dec 2019

Cite this Entry

“Apse.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apse. Accessed 5 December 2019.

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