transept means the transversal part of a church, which crosses at right angles to the greatest length, and between the nave and choir. In the basilicas, this had often no projection at its two ends. In Gothic churches these project greatly, and should be called the arms of the transept. It is common, however, to speak of the arms themselves as the transepts. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 85 out of 100.
transept is pronounced /ˈtɹænsɛpt/.
Why “transept” is a great word
TRANSEPT — [Noun] The transverse part of a cruciform church, crossing the nave at right angles between the nave and the choir. From French transept, from New Latin transeptum, from Latin trans- ("across") + saeptum ("fence, partition, enclosure"). Unlike the "nave" (which is the longitudinal vessel for the congregation) or the "chancel" (which is the sanctified precinct of the altar), the transept is the architectural axis of intersection. It is the sudden, cool expanse where light from the south window meets light from the north, the shadowed arm that briefly halts the procession toward the apse, and the palpable hinge where the floorplan becomes a body—a space that makes the architecture breathe and the ground plan a cross.
noun
- The transversal part of a church, which crosses at right angles to the greatest length, and between the nave and choir. In the basilicas, this had often no projection at its two ends. In Gothic churches these project greatly, and should be called the arms of the transept. It is common, however, to speak of the arms themselves as the transepts.“Here, in the transept and choir, where the service was being held, one was conscious every moment of an increasing brightness; colours glowing vividly beneath the circular chandeliers, and the rows of small lights on the choristers' desks flashed and sparkled in front of the boys' faces, deep linen collars, and red neckbands.”