traverse

See also traversé

English

Etymology

From Latin trans across + versus turned, perfect passive participle of vertere, turn

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈtɹəˌvə(ɹ)s/ X-SAMPA: /"tr@%v@(r)s/

Noun

traverse (plural traverses)

1. (climbing) A route used in mountaineering, specifically rock climbing, in which the descent occurs by a different route than the ascent.
2. (military) In fortification, a mass of earth or other material employed to protect troops against enfilade. It is constructed at right angles to the parapet.
3. (surveying) A series of points, with angles and distances measured between, traveled around a subject, usually for use as "control" i.e. angular reference system for later surveying work.
4. (obsolete) A screen or partition.
   • 1499, John Skelton, The Bowge of Court:

     Than sholde ye see there pressynge in a pace / Of one and other that wolde this lady see, / Whiche sat behynde a traves of sylke fyne, / Of golde of tessew the fynest that myghte be [...].

Related terms

• traversal
• tree traversal

Verb

traverse (third-person singular simple present traverses, present participle traversing, simple past and past participle traversed)

1. (transitive) To travel across, often under difficult conditions.

   He will have to traverse the mountain to get to the other side.

2. (transitive, computing) To visit all parts of; to explore thoroughly; as, to traverse all nodes in a network.
3. (artillery) To rotate a gun around a vertical axis to bear upon a military target.
4. (climbing) To climb or descend a steep hill at a wide angle.

Translations

to travel across, often under difficult conditions

• Danish: at traversere (da)
• French: franchir (fr), traverser (fr)
• Greek: διασχίζω (el) (diaschízo) 
• Latin: ambulo (la)
• Maori: topetope (mi)
• Old French: trespasser
• Polish: trawersować (pl)

• Portuguese: atravessar (pt)
• Russian: преодолеть (ru) (preodolét')  pf.,перейти через (ru) (perejtí cérez) pf., перейти (ru) (perejtí)  pf.
• Spanish: atravesar (es)
• Urdu: پار کرنا
• Volapük: dugolön (vo)

computing: to visit all parts of; to explore thoroughly

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 遍历 (cmn)

• Danish: at traversere (da)
• Russian: обойти (ru) (obojtí)  pf.

Adverb

traverse (comparative more traverse, superlative most traverse)

1. athwart; across; crosswise

Anagrams

• averters

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA: /tʁa.vɛʁs/

Etymology 1

Vulgar Latin traversa, feminine of traversus.

Noun

traverse f (plural traverses)

1. (rail transport) sleeper (UK), tie (US)

Etymology 2

Inflected forms.

Verb

traverse

1. first-person singular present indicative of traverser
2. third-person singular present indicative of traverser
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of traverser
4. first-person singular present subjunctive of traverser
5. second-person singular imperative of traverser

Anagrams

• réservât
• reversât

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Italian

Adjective

traverse f

1. Feminine plural form of traverso

Noun

traverse f

1. Plural form of traversa

Anagrams

• varreste