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Glite Dictionary
transept

transept

1 9.5
A part of a church that crosses the main hall, making the building look like a cross
  • noun
  • /ˈtrænˌsɛpt/
  • Specialized
: transepto
  • Smith led Finnerty through the transept and into the empty War Memorial Chapel.
  • the south transept
  • the north transept
  • nave and transept

They have set up an informational table in the transept, and they invite anyone seeking more information to stop by there on their way out.

Examples

  • They have set up an informational table in the transept, and they invite anyone seeking more information to stop by there on their way out.

    Harvard University

  • As he walked, George passed the northwest transept and the martyrdom stone.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • The program of the south transept is unprecedented in medieval art.

    Academic text (1991)

  • The frescoes in question were found in the south transept of the cathedral.

    Academic text (1991)

  • An exceptional chapel would be provided at the terminal wall of each transept.

    Academic text (2015)

  • Dating the south transept frescoes is even more tenuous.

    Academic text (1991)

  • The transepts had both been turned into bedrooms with doors to cut them off from the nave.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • In this way, the two small paintings thematically join the two transept chapels.

    Academic text (2000)

  • The two large chapel niches in the transept, by contrast, underwent many important changes.

    Academic text (2000)

  • The frescoes in question were found in the south transept of the cathedral.

Surface Forms

transept singular
transepts plural

Morphology

transept = septum (semi-transparent) = trans + sept

The prefix 'trans-' ('across') suggests a crossing element, but the root 'sept' (from 'septum' meaning partition) is specialized and not familiar to many learners, so the meaning is only partly guessable.

Etymology

Transept comes from the parts trans- 'across' and septum 'dividing wall'. Think of trans- like in transport 'to carry across' to help you remember. So the transept is the part of a church that runs 'across' the main body and makes the arms of the cross.