Meaning & use
apse
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablereligion
A rounded or many-sided recess at the end of a church, often roofed with a half-dome and holding the altar.
Grammar: Countable: the church has one apse at the east end.
Patterns
- the apse of a church
- in the apse
Sunlight from the stained glass fell across the altar in the apse.
The choir stood in the apse and sang the final hymn.
Tourists stared up at the painted dome over the apse.
nouncountablespecialist
A similar rounded recess at the end of a large hall or other building, such as an ancient Roman basilica.
Grammar: Used for non-church buildings too: the court sat in the apse of the basilica.
Patterns
- the apse of a hall
- an apse at the end
The judge's seat stood in the apse of the Roman basilica.
Archaeologists found the base of a large apse at the end of the hall.
The library has a curved apse where students gather to study.
Word forms
| plural | apses |
|---|
Common combinations
- the east apse
- The east apse faces the rising sun.
- semicircular apse
- A semicircular apse closes the nave of the old church.
- apse mosaic
- The apse mosaic shows a golden figure surrounded by saints.
- radiating chapels around the apse
- Small chapels radiate around the apse like petals.
- vaulted apse
- A vaulted apse gave the choir fine acoustics.
Synonyms and how they differ
- recess
- Recess is a general word for any hollow set into a wall, while apse names a specific rounded end of a church or hall.
- alcove
- An alcove is a small nook off a room, usually not part of a church plan, whereas an apse is a large structural feature.
- chancel
- The chancel is the whole area around the altar and may be square, whereas apse names the curved end of it.
Word family
- apsidal adjective
- shaped like an apse or relating to one
- apsis noun
- the older form of apse, also used for an orbit's highest or lowest point
- apsides noun
- the plural of apsis in astronomy
Commonly confused: apse or nave? apse or aisle?
apse vs nave
The nave is the long central part of a church where the congregation sits, while the apse is the curved end behind the altar.
apse vs aisle
An aisle is a passage beside the nave or between rows of seats, not the rounded end of a church.
Practice
In many old churches, where would you usually find the altar?
Choose one answer.
The apse is the rounded end of a church and traditionally holds the altar. The nave is for the congregation, and a porch and a bell tower are different parts of the building.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “apse”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.