Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

apse

/æps/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.34 in modern English

Syllables: apse
IPA: /æps/

6

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

1

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The rounded east (liturgical east) end of a church that contains or is behind the altar.

noun

The rounded east (liturgical east) end of a church that contains or is behind the altar.

noun

A semicircular projection from any building that is similar to a church's apse.

noun

The bishop's seat or throne in ancient churches.

noun

A reliquary: a case in which the relics of saints are kept.

noun

Obsolete form of apsis (“the nearest and furthest points to the centre of gravitational attraction for a body in orbit”).

Obsolete

noun

Obsolete

Example Sentences

"Holonyms: church, cathedral"
"Meronyms: ambulatory, apse chapels"
"Near-synonyms: chancel, presbytery, sanctuary (all broadly synonymous)"
"Our private tour of the cathedral even allowed us to walk through the apse, which most tours don't."
"The draughtsman could not have held the sheet with the apse at the tip, for then, instead of shading away from the edge, most of his hatched lines would begin in the uncharted middle ground of a shadeable area, to strike against the contour; […]"
"The college has an apse that once held a small chapel."

Etymology

From Latin apsis, hapsis, from Ancient Greek ἁψίς (hapsís, “arch, vault”), from ἅπτω (háptō, “to bind, join”).

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: apsis, ἁψίς

Usage

Obsolete

Inflected Forms

apses (plural) apsides (plural)

Derived Forms

counterapse synapse

Phrases

apse chapel apse line

Frequently Paired Words

ambulatory apse chapel see

Synonyms

apsis apside chancel presbytery sanctuary[Appendix:Glossary

Homonyms

apps

Rhymes With

perhaps maps collapse caps traps taps lapse scraps relapse flaps slaps chaps

Questions

How do you pronounce apse?: The recorded pronunciation is /æps/.
What does apse mean?: The rounded east (liturgical east) end of a church that contains or is behind the altar.
Where does apse come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce apse

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “apse”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/æps/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “apse”.
Repeat and practice — Say “apse” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.