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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.
architecture. an apse.
historical examples

it does not span the apsis of a church; it spans rivers and valleys.
beacon lights of history, volume v john lord

in 1473, he was employed by the latter to paint, in the apsis of ss.
memoirs of the dukes of urbino, volume ii (of 3) james dennistoun

the tomb is in the wall, behind a range of pillars, which form a kind of open screen round the apsis.
account of a tour in normandy, vol. i. (of 2) dawson turner

the nave of the chapel is in tolerably good preservation, but the apsis has suffered severely from damp.
george eliot’s life, vol. ii (of 3) george eliot

the east end terminates by an apsis, of which the elevation resembles the exterior of the cathedral of pisa.
architectural antiquities of normandy john sell cotman

in the former the pillars were probably square, and the apsis is not marked outside.
a manual of the historical development of art g. g. (gustavus george) zerffi

then a man got up by the apsis and stood there half hidden by the stalact-te rock.
the german lieutenant and other stories august strindberg

at the further end of this chamber was a stone altar, standing upon one or two steps, in an apsis or semicircular recess.
visits to monasteries in the levant robert curzon

between the apsis and the nave stood the altar, or rather the common table, canopied by a baldachin supported by columns.
a manual of the historical development of art g. g. (gustavus george) zerffi

it has two small transepts at the extremity of the nave, on each side of the apsis.
beacon lights of history, volume v john lord

noun (pl) apsides (æpˈsaɪdiːz; ˈæpsɪˌdiːz)
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 princ-p-l axis of the orbit
another name for apse (sense 1)
n.

“perigree of the moon, perihelion of a planet” (plural apsides), 1650s, from latin apsis “arch, vault” (see apse).
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.