transit

[ tran-sit, -zit ]

/ ˈtræn sɪt, -zɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR transit ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act or fact of passing across or through; passage from one place to another.

conveyance or transportation from one place to another, as of persons or goods, especially, local public transportation: city transit.Compare mass transit.

a transition or change.

Astronomy.

the passage of a heavenly body across the meridian of a given location or through the field of a telescope.
the passage of Mercury or Venus across the disk of the sun, or of a satellite or its shadow across the face of its primary.
meridian circle.

Astrology. the passage of a planet in aspect to another planet or a specific point in a horoscope.

Surveying.

Also called transit instrument. an instrument, as a theodolite, having a telescope that can be transited, used for measuring horizontal and sometimes vertical angles.
a repeating transit theodolite.

(initial capital letter) U.S. Aerospace. one of a series of satellites for providing positional data to ships and aircraft.

verb (used with object), tran·sit·ed, tran·sit·ing.

to pass across or through.

Surveying. to turn (the telescope of a transit) in a vertical plane in order to reverse direction; plunge.

Astronomy. to cross (a meridian, celestial body, etc.).

verb (used without object), tran·sit·ed, tran·sit·ing.

to pass over or through something; make a transit.

Astronomy. to make a transit across a meridian, celestial body, etc.

Nearby words

transignification, transilient, transilluminate, transistor, transistorize, transit, transit camp, transit circle, transit instrument, transit number, transit shed

Origin of transit

1400–50; late Middle English (noun and v.) < Latin trānsitus a going across, passage, equivalent to trānsi-, variant stem of trānsīre to cross (trāns- trans- + -īre to go) + -tus suffix of v. action

Definition for transit (2 of 2)

sic transit gloria mundi

[ seek trahn-sit gloh-ri-ah moo n-dee; English sik tran-sit glawr-ee-uh muhn-dahy, -dee, glohr-, -zit ]

/ sik ˈtrɑn sɪt ˈgloʊ rɪˌɑ ˈmʊn di; English sɪk ˈtræn sɪt ˈglɔr i ə ˈmʌn daɪ, -di, ˈgloʊr-, -zɪt /

Latin.

thus passes away the glory of this world.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for transit

The paperwork was spotless: he had died in transit, the conjunction of a weak heart and long trip.
A Million Ways to Die in Prison|Daniel Genis|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Its method of transit is direct person-to-person contact with body fluids.
The Sham, Scaremongering Guide to Ebola|Abby Haglage|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On top of the $8-10K salary, visa and transit costs will be covered.
$10,000 a Month for Ebola Fighters|Abby Haglage|October 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Instead of a lock and key, you get “strong encryption to protect evidence data in transit and at rest.”
Your Arrest Video Is Going Online. Who Will See It?|Jacob Siegel|September 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

A source tells The Daily Beast that Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO) will be the next chair of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee.
Missouri Rep.To Lead Crucial Highways Subcommittee|Tim Mak|July 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They travelled rarely, and dwelt close to their work, because swift means of transit had not yet come.
Tales of Space and Time|Herbert George Wells
At the same time he undertook to provide the necessary supplies for its maintenance during the transit.
The Revolt of The Netherlands, Complete|Friedrich Schiller
This was the penalty for making the transit from a lower to a higher civilization.
Tuskegee & Its People: Their Ideals and Achievements|Various
"Run through the apertures uselessly in transit," I think I said last.
Miss Cayley's Adventures|Grant Allen
You see, there will be no waste, no damage in transit, as there always is with wheat and flour.
Father Goriot|Honore de Balzac

British Dictionary definitions for transit (1 of 2)

transit

/ (ˈtrænsɪt, ˈtrænz-) /

noun

the passage or conveyance of goods or people
(as modifier)a transit visa

a change or transition

a route

astronomy

the passage of a celestial body or satellite across the face of a relatively larger body as seen from the earth
the apparent passage of a celestial body across the meridian, caused by the earth's diurnal rotation

astrology the passage of a planet across some special point on the zodiac

in transit while being conveyed; during passage

verb

to make a transit through or over (something)

astronomy to make a transit across (a celestial body or the meridian)

to cause (the telescope of a surveying instrument) to turn over or (of such a telescope) to be turned over in a vertical plane so that it points in the opposite direction

Derived Forms

transitable, adjective

Word Origin for transit

C15: from Latin transitus a going over, from transīre to pass over; see transient

British Dictionary definitions for transit (2 of 2)

sic transit gloria mundi

/ Latin (ˈsɪk ˈtrænsɪt ˈɡlɔːrɪˌɑː ˈmʊndiː) /

thus passes the glory of the world

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Science definitions for transit

transit

[ trăn′sĭt ]

The passage of a smaller celestial body or its shadow across the disk of a larger celestial body. As observed from Earth, Mercury and Venus are the only planets of the solar system that make transits of the Sun, because they are the only planets with orbits that lie between Earth and the Sun. Mercury makes an average of 13 transits of the Sun each century. Transits of Venus across the Sun are much rarer, with only 7 of them having occurred between 1639 and 2004. In contrast, transits of Jupiter's moons across its disk are common occurrences. Compare occultation.

The passage of a celestial body across the celestial meridian (the great circle on the celestial sphere passing through the celestial poles and an observer's zenith). For any observer, the object is at its highest in the sky at its transit of the observer's meridian. See more at celestial meridian.

Culture definitions for transit

Sic transit gloria mundi

[ (sik tran-sit glawr-ee-uh moon-dee) ]

Latin for “Thus passes away the glory of the world”; worldly things do not last.

Idioms and Phrases with transit

sic transit gloria mundi

Nothing on earth is permanent, as in His first three novels were bestsellers and now he can't even find an agent—sic transit gloria mundi. This expression, Latin for “Thus passes the glory of the world,” has been used in English since about 1600, and is familiar enough so that it is sometimes abbreviated to sic transit.

transit

noun

verb (used with object), tran·sit·ed, tran·sit·ing.

verb (used without object), tran·sit·ed, tran·sit·ing.

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Nearby words

Origin of transit

Definition for transit (2 of 2)

sic transit gloria mundi

Latin.

Examples from the Web for transit

British Dictionary definitions for transit (1 of 2)

transit

noun

verb

Derived Forms

Word Origin for transit

British Dictionary definitions for transit (2 of 2)

sic transit gloria mundi

Science definitions for transit

transit

Culture definitions for transit

Sic transit gloria mundi

Idioms and Phrases with transit

sic transit gloria mundi