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traverse

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.04 sec.
tra·verse  (tr-vûrs, trvrs)
v. tra·versed, tra·vers·ing, tra·vers·es
v.tr.
1. To travel or pass across, over, or through.
2. To move to and fro over; cross and recross.
3. To go up, down, or across (a slope) diagonally, as in skiing.
4. To cause to move laterally on a pivot; swivel: traverse an artillery piece.
5. To extend across; cross: a bridge that traverses a river.
6. To look over carefully; examine.
7. To go counter to; thwart.
8. Law
a. To deny formally (an allegation of fact by the opposing party) in a suit. See Synonyms at deny.
b. To join issue upon (an indictment).
9. To survey by traverse.
10. Nautical To brace (a yard) fore and aft.
v.intr.
1. To move to the side or back and forth.
2. To turn laterally; swivel.
3.
a. To go up, down, or across a slope diagonally or in a zigzag manner, as in skiing.
b. To slide one's blade with pressure toward the hilt of the opponent's foil in fencing.
n. trav·erse (trvrs, tr-vûrs)
1. A passing across, over, or through.
2. A route or path across or over.
3. Something that lies across, especially:
a. An intersecting line; a transversal.
b. Architecture A structural crosspiece; a transom.
c. A gallery, deck, or loft crossing from one side of a building to the other.
d. A railing, curtain, screen, or similar barrier.
e. A defensive barrier across a rampart or trench, as a bank of earth thrown up to protect against enfilade fire.
4. Something that obstructs and thwarts; an obstacle.
5. Nautical The zigzag route of a vessel forced by contrary winds to sail on different courses.
6. A zigzag or diagonal course on a steep slope, as in skiing.
7.
a. A lateral movement, as of a lathe tool across a piece of wood.
b. A part of a mechanism that moves in this manner.
c. The lateral swivel of a mounted gun.
8. A line established by sighting in surveying a tract of land.
9. Law A formal denial of the opposing party's allegation of fact in a suit.
adj. trav·erse (trvrs, tr-vûrs)
Lying or extending across; transverse.

[Middle English traversen, from Old French traverser, from Vulgar Latin *trversre, from Late Latin trnsversre, from Latin trnsversus, transverse; see transverse.]

tra·versa·ble adj.
tra·versal n.
tra·verser n.

traverse
Verb
[-ersing, -ersed]
1. to move over or back and forth over; cross: he once traversed San Francisco harbour in a balloon
2. to reach across
3. to walk, climb, or ski diagonally up or down a slope
Noun
1. something being or lying across, such as a crossbar
2. the act or an instance of traversing or crossing
3. a path or road across
Adjective
being or lying across [Latin transversus turned across]
traversal n

1. To turn a weapon to the right or left on its mount.
2. A method of surveying in which lengths and directions of lines between points on the earth are obtained by or from field measurements, and used in determining positions of the points.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.traversetraverse - a horizontal beam that extends across something
beam - long thick piece of wood or metal or concrete, etc., used in construction
2.traversetraverse - a horizontal crosspiece across a window or separating a door from a window over it
crosspiece - a transverse brace
3.traversetraverse - taking a zigzag path on skis        
crossing - traveling across
skiing - a sport in which participants must travel on skis
4.traversetraverse - travel across                        
travel, traveling, travelling - the act of going from one place to another; "he enjoyed selling but he hated the travel"
Verb1.traversetraverse - travel across or pass over; "The caravan covered almost 100 miles each day"
tramp - cross on foot; "We had to tramp the creeks"
stride - cover or traverse by taking long steps; "She strode several miles towards the woods"
walk - traverse or cover by walking; "Walk the tightrope"; "Paul walked the streets of Damascus"; "She walks 3 miles every day"
crisscross - cross in a pattern, often random
ford - cross a river where it's shallow
bridge - cross over on a bridge
jaywalk - cross the road at a red light
drive, take - proceed along in a vehicle; "We drive the turnpike to work"
go across, pass, go through - go across or through; "We passed the point where the police car had parked"; "A terrible thought went through his mind"
course - move swiftly through or over; "ships coursing the Atlantic"
hop - traverse as if by a short airplane trip; "Hop the Pacific Ocean"
2.traversetraverse - to cover or extend over an area or time period; "Rivers traverse the valley floor", "The parking lot spans 3 acres"; "The novel spans three centuries"
cover, extend, continue - span an interval of distance, space or time; "The war extended over five years"; "The period covered the turn of the century"; "My land extends over the hills on the horizon"; "This farm covers some 200 acres"; "The Archipelago continues for another 500 miles"
3.traversetraverse - deny formally (an allegation of fact by the opposing party) in a legal suit
practice of law, law - the learned profession that is mastered by graduate study in a law school and that is responsible for the judicial system; "he studied law at Yale"

traverse
verb 1. cross, go across, travel over, make your way across, cover, range, bridge, negotiate, wander, go over, span, roam, ply
verb 2. cut across, pass over, stretch across, extend across, lie across
Translations
traverse [ˈtrævəs] vtatravesar
traverse [ˈtrævəs] vttraverser
traverse [ˈtrævəs] vtdurchqueren
traverse [ˈtrævəs] vttraversare, attraversare


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
We were twenty-seven days on the traverse between San Francisco and Honolulu.
The distance between Suez and Aden is precisely thirteen hundred and ten miles, and the regulations of the company allow the steamers one hundred and thirty-eight hours in which to traverse it.
When I was in Spaceland I heard that your sailors have very similar experiences while they traverse your seas and discern some distant island or coast lying on the horizon.
 
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