1.
Astronomy. either of two points in an eccentric orbit, one (higher apsis) farthest from the center of attraction, the other (lower apsis) nearest to the center of attraction.
2.
Architecture. an apse.
1595-1605
1595-1605; < Latin < Greek hapsís (felloe of) a wheel, arch, vault, orig., fastening, equivalent to háp(tein) to fasten + -sis -sis
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2015.
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Examples from the Web for apsis
Historical Examples
It does not span the apsis of a church; it spans rivers and valleys.
In 1473, he was employed by the latter to paint, in the apsis of SS.
The tomb is in the wall, behind a range of pillars, which form a kind of open screen round the apsis.
The nave of the chapel is in tolerably good preservation, but the apsis has suffered severely from damp.
The east end terminates by an apsis, of which the elevation resembles the exterior of the cathedral of Pisa.
At the further end of this chamber was a stone altar, standing upon one or two steps, in an apsis or semicircular recess.
Then a man got up by the apsis and stood there half hidden by the stalactite rock.
In the former the pillars were probably square, and the apsis is not marked outside.
Between the apsis and the nave stood the altar, or rather the common table, canopied by a baldachin supported by columns.
It has two small transepts at the extremity of the nave, on each side of the apsis.
British Dictionary definitions for apsis
noun (pl) apsides (æpˈsaɪdiːz; ˈæpsɪˌdiːz)
1.
Also called apse. either of two points lying at the extremities of an eccentric orbit of a planet, satellite, etc, such as the aphelion and perihelion of a planet or the apogee and perigee of the moon. The line of apsides connects two such points and is the principal axis of the orbit
2.
another name for apse (sense 1)
apsidal (æpˈsaɪdəl; ˈæpsɪdəl) adjective
C17: via Latin from Greek; see apse
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for apsis
n.
"perigree of the moon, perihelion of a planet" (plural apsides), 1650s, from Latin apsis "arch, vault" (see apse).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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apsis in Science
apsis (āp'sĭs)
Plural apsides (āp'sĭ-dēz')
In the path of an orbiting body, either of the two points at which it is closest to or farthest away from the body it is orbiting. See also apoapsis, periapsis.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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