transverse

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

adjective

lying or extending across or in a cross direction; cross.
(of a flute) having a mouth hole in the side of the tube, near its end, across which the player's breath is directed. Compare end-blown.
(of an automotive engine) mounted with the crankshaft oriented sideways.

noun

Origin of transverse

First recorded in 1610–20, transverse is from the Latin word trānsversus going or lying across, athwart. See traverse

OTHER WORDS FROM transverse

trans·verse·ly, adverb sub·trans·verse, adjective sub·trans·verse·ly, adverb

Example sentences from the Web for transverse

British Dictionary definitions for transverse

transverse
/ (trænzˈvɜːs) /

adjective

crossing from side to side; athwart; crossways
geometry denoting the axis that passes through the foci of a hyperbola
(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
astronomy another word for tangential (def. 2)

noun

a transverse piece or object

Derived forms of transverse

transversely, adverb transverseness, noun

Word Origin for transverse

C16: from Latin transversus, from transvertere to turn across, from trans- + vertere to turn

Medical definitions for transverse

transverse
[ trăns-vûrs, trănz-, trănsvûrs′, trănz- ]

adj.

Lying across the long axis of the body or of a part.