/
ˈtravəs,
trəˈvəːs/
v.
- travel or extend across or through.
▸cross a rock face by means of a series of sideways movements from one practicable line of ascent or descent to another.
▸ski diagonally across (a slope), losing only a little height.
- move back and forth or sideways.
▸turn (a large gun or other device on a pivot) to face a different direction.
- Law deny (an allegation) in pleading.
▸archaic thwart (a plan).
n.
- an act of traversing.
▸a zigzag course taken by a ship.
- a part of a structure that extends or is fixed across something.
▸a gallery extending from side to side of a church or other building.
- a mechanism enabling a large gun to be traversed.
▸the sideways movement of a part in a machine.
- a single line of survey, usually plotted from compass bearings and chained or paced distances between angular points.
- Military a pair of right-angled bends incorporated in a trench to avoid enfilading fire.
Derivative
- traversable adj.
- traversal n.
- traverser n.
Etymology
ME: from OFr. traverser, from late L. traversare; the noun is from OFr. travers (masc.), traverse (fem.), partly based on traverser.