apse

Pronunciation: /æps/

The English word “apse” has 6 meanings listed here.

noun

The rounded east (liturgical east) end of a church that contains or is behind the altar.
The interior portion of this section of the church building, excluding the ambulatory and any apse chapels.
A semicircular projection from any building that is similar to a church's apse.
The bishop's seat or throne in ancient churches.
A reliquary: a case in which the relics of saints are kept.
An aspen tree.

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

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.