traverse
pronunciation
How to pronounce traverse in British English:
UK [trəˈvɜːs , ˈtrævɜːs]
How to pronounce traverse in American English:
US [trəˈvɜːrs , ˈtrævɜːrs]
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- Noun:
- a horizontal beam that extends across something
- a horizontal crosspiece across a window or separating a door from a window over it
- taking a zigzag path on skis
- travel across
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- Verb:
- travel across or pass over
- to cover or extend over an area or time period
- deny formally (an allegation of fact by the opposing party) in a legal suit
Word Origin
- traverse (v.)
- early 14c., "pass across, over, or through," from Old French traverser "to cross, place across" (11c.), from Vulgar Latin *traversare, from Latin transversare "to cross, throw across," from Latin transversus "turn across" (see transverse). As an adjective from early 15c. Related: Traversed; traversing.
- traverse (n.)
- "act of passing through a gate, crossing a bridge, etc.," mid-14c., from Old French travers, from traverser (see traverse (v.)). Meaning "a passage by which one may traverse" is recorded from 1670s. Military fortification sense of "barrier, barricade" is recorded from 1590s.
Example
- 1. From the start you traverse a narrow and muddy track , often single-lane and scattered with rocks .
- 2. Atp supplies the energy required for these ions to traverse cell membranes .
- 3. In order to traverse earth 's oceans , humans learned to navigate its winds and currents .
- 4. Vast new projects-such as crossrail , which will traverse the city , and an upgrade of the underground to boost its capacity-are under way .
- 5. Although it is not surrounded by water ( which borders only its eastern flank ) , china is bordered by terrain that is difficult to traverse in virtually any direction .