ˈtrævə:s v. & n. --v. 1 tr.
travel or lie
across (traversed
the country; a pit traversed by a beam). 2 tr.
consider or
discuss the
whole extent of (a subject). 3 tr.
turn (a
large gun) horizontally. 4 tr.
Law deny (an allegation) in
pleading. 5 tr.
thwart,
frustrate, or
oppose (a
plan or opinion). 6 intr. (of the
needle of a
compass etc.) turn on or as on a
pivot. 7 intr. (of a horse)
walk obliquely. 8 intr.
make a traverse in climbing. --n. 1 a
sideways movement. 2 an
act of traversing. 3 a
thing,
esp.
part of a
structure,
that crosses
another. 4 a
gallery extending
from side to side of a
church or
other building. 5 a a
single line of
survey, usu. plotted from compass bearings
and chained or paced distances
between angular points. b a tract surveyed in
this way. 6 Naut. a
zigzag line taken by a
ship because of
contrary winds or currents. 7 a skier's
similar movement on a
slope. 8 the sideways movement of a part in a
machine. 9 a a sideways
motion across a rock-face from
one practicable line of
ascent or
descent to another. b a
place where this is
necessary. 10
Mil. a
pair of right-angle bends in a
trench to
avoid enfilading
fire. 11 Law a
denial, esp. of an
allegation of a
matter of
fact. 12 the act of
turning a large
gun horizontally to the required
direction. øøtraversable adj. traversal n. traverser n. [OF traverser f. LL traversare, transversare (as TRANSVERSE)]