transverse
Americanadjective
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lying or extending across or in a cross direction; cross.
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(of a flute) having a mouth hole in the side of the tube, near its end, across which the player's breath is directed.
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(of an automotive engine) mounted with the crankshaft oriented sideways.
noun
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something that is transverse.
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Nautical. web frame.
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Geometry. transverse axis.
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a city road that cuts through a park or other area of light traffic; shortcut.
adjective
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crossing from side to side; athwart; crossways
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geometry denoting the axis that passes through the foci of a hyperbola
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(of a flute, etc) held almost at right angles to the player's mouth, so that the breath passes over a hole in the side to create a vibrating air column within the tube of the instrument
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astronomy another word for tangential
noun
Other Word Forms
- subtransverse adjective
- subtransversely adverb
- transversely adverb
- transverseness noun
Etymology
Origin of transverse
First recorded in 1610–20, transverse is from the Latin word trānsversus going or lying across, athwart. See traverse
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
An international team of researchers has now achieved that goal by demonstrating a quantized transverse drift of light.
From Science Daily • Mar. 1, 2026
"Our far-reaching theory encompasses all systems evidencing such transverse interactions. Conceivable applications range from colloid research to biology," declares co-author Dr. Michael te Vrugt, Assistant Professor at the University of Mainz.
From Science Daily • Oct. 21, 2025
One tabulation of the cost to double the number of buses so fans can better transverse the city on public transit is estimated at upward of $1 billion.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 19, 2024
Cashore spelled it correctly, then clinched the title with the word “transept,” an architectural term for the transverse part of a cross-shaped church.
From Seattle Times • May 31, 2024
As it comes from behind you, a transverse waves lifts you up and then drops down; a longitudinal wave coming from behind pushes you forward and pulls you back.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
