transverse

American  

[trans-vurs, tranz-, trans-vurs, tranz-] / trænsˈvɜrs, trænz-, ˈtræns vɜrs, ˈtrænz- /

adjective

1. lying or extending across or in a cross direction; cross.

2. (of a flute) having a mouth hole in the side of the tube, near its end, across which the player's breath is directed.

3. (of an automotive engine) mounted with the crankshaft oriented sideways.

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noun

1. something that is transverse.

2. Nautical. web frame.

3. Geometry. transverse axis.

4. a city road that cuts through a park or other area of light traffic; shortcut.

transverse British  

/ trænzˈvɜːs /

adjective

1. crossing from side to side; athwart; crossways

2. geometry denoting the axis that passes through the foci of a hyperbola

3. (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

4. astronomy another word for tangential

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noun

1. a transverse piece or object

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

Explanation

If something is transverse it goes sideways or at an angle. You might take a transverse path cutting across the park — it's a short cut if you're in a hurry, because you don't have to walk the entire length. First used in the 1590s, the adjective transverse comes from the Latin word transvertere, which combines the prefix trans-, meaning "across," and vertere, meaning "to turn." Something that's transverse cuts across something. A doctor may make a transverse incision into a patient's abdomen during an appendectomy. Set between two buildings, a dark alley is transverse to the bustling city street.

Example Sentences

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

The main focus of the development of magnetic materials for transverse thermoelectric conversion has been the exploration of new alloys based on electronic structure, with no research on the microstructure within the materials.

From Science Daily • May 9, 2024

It is also strongest with a certain type of polarization, called transverse magnetic polarization.

From Science Daily • Apr. 24, 2024

The stage was laid out transverse style, so that the audience flanked the presentation on two sides.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 26, 2023

In a transverse wave, as the wave is moving in one direction, it is creating a disturbance in a different direction.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

Related Words

• across
• cross
• transversal