Forms: 3 þuert, ðwert, (Orm.) þwerrt, 4 thwert, 5 þwerte, twhert, thuart, 5–7 twart, thwarte, twhart, 6–7 thwarth, thawart(e, (qwarte, whart), 7 twarte, 9 dial. thort, thurt, thirt, thert, 5– thwart. [Early ME. (c. 1200) þwert, a. ON. þvert (Norw. tvert, tvært, Sw. tvert, tvärt, Da. tvært) adv., across, athwart, orig. neuter of the ON. adj. þver-r (Norw. tver, tvær, Sw. tver, tvär, Da. tvær), transverse, cross. CF. OHG. twer, MHG. twer, quer, Ger. quer, and (with adv. gen. -s), OFris. þweres, dwers, Satl. twars, WFris. dwerz, dwers, EFris. dwars, dwas, MLG., MD. dwers, dwars, LG., Du. dwars, athwart, crossly, peevishly; ON. þvers = þvert. ON. þver was shortened from *þverh = OE. þwerh, þweorh (genitive þweores, in comb. þweor-) crooked, cross, perverse = OHG. dwerh, dwerah, twerh, MHG. dwerch, twerch, Ger. zwerch- (in composition), Goth. þwairhs cross, angry, :—OTeut. *þwerh- :—*þrerhw- :—Indo-Eur. *twerkw-, whence L. torquēre to twist, Skr. tarku’ spindle. In Eng. the adv. is known c. 1200, first in the combinations þwert út (THWERT-OUT) and þwert-over (THWART-OVER), later (c. 1300) over-þwert (OVERTHWART). It was used as an adj., with a vb. þwerten, both fig., c. 1250, and as a prep. bef. 1300. In all these thwert became thwart in the 15th c. Thwart sb. is found in the 17th c.
The ME. material is scanty, and the sense development is not illustrated fully by the extant quotations. The senses are therefore here arranged in what appears to be the logical order.]
A. adv.
† 1. Across or transversely to the length, direction, or course of anything; from side to side; crosswise, transversely; = ATHWART A. 1. Obs.
a. 1350. St. Thomas, 85, in Horstm., Altengl. Leg. (1881), 21. A grete blak dog … Thwert in his mouth þe hand he broght.
1483. Caxton, Gold. Leg., 402/2. A man on hors backe which bare a longe tree thwarte and wold entre in to the temple, and he myght not by cause the tree laye thwarte.
1597. A. M., trans. Guillemeau’s Fr. Chirurg., 24 b/1. An apertione accordinge to the length of that parte, and not thwart or crosseover.
1624. Capt. Smith, Virginia, III. 79. A great tree (that lay thwart as a barricado).
1664. Evelyn, Sylva (1776), 405. Till you can lay them thwart, that the top of one may rest on the root or stub of the other.
† b. fig. Across the course of, so as to obstruct or oppose; adversely; = ATHWART A. 3. Obs.
a. 1628. Preston, New Covt. (1634), 146. There are many things in the Creature that are crosse to us, that fall thwart upon us.
1642. R. Carpenter, Experience, II. xi. 214. A work that lyes thwart, and strives against the current of your naturall inclination.
2. From one side to the other of anything (with motion implied); across. arch.
1511. Guylford, Pilgr. (Camden), 6. We trauersed out of that ryuer into an other lytell ryuer, whiche brought us thawarte ayen into Latyze.
1880. Webb, Goethe’s Faust, I. i. 31. Up, down and thwart, without repose, To lead my scholars by the nose.
† 3. Thwart of. a. Naut. Opposite to, over against (a place on the coast): = OFF B. II. 6. b.
1556. W. Towrson, in Hakluyt, Voy. (1589), 98. We were thwart of Porto Sancto.
1670. Narborough, Jrnl., in Acc. Sev. Late Voy., I. (1694), 16. Being thwart of the Shoals of Brazil.
† b. Transversely to, across the direction of. Obs.
1667. Milton, P. L., X. 703. With adverse blast up-turns them from the South Notus and Afer black with thundrous Clouds…; thwart of these as fierce Forth rush the Levant and the Ponent Windes Eurus and Zephir.
B. prep.
1. From side to side of, across: a. of position or direction; = ATHWART B. 1 b. arch. or poet.
1470–85. Malory, Arthur, V. viii. 173. Lucyus smote Arthur thwart the vysage.
1585. T. Washington, trans. Nicholay’s Voy., II. x. 44. Our patrone … was … caste thwart the nose of our gallie.
1680. Lond. Gaz., No. 1550/4. [He] hath a Scar thwart the back of one of his Hands.
1741. in Descr. Thames (1758), 87. No Person … shall … bend any Net, by Anchors or otherwise, thwart the Channel, and so as to draw another Net into it.
1870. Morris, Earthly Par., II. III. 192. A pink-tinged cloud spread thwart the shore.
b. of motion: = ATHWART B. 1 a. arch. or poet.
1583. Stocker, Civ. Warres Lowe C., III. 9. Came three messengers thwart the fieldes in at the wood gate.
1598. Stow, Surv., iii. (1603), 14. Which ran … through that streete, thwart Grastreete, and downe Lumbard streete.
1738. Gray, Tasso, 7. Thwart the road a River roll’d its flood tempestuous.
1813. T. Busby, Lucretius, II. 131. When shines the God of Day, And thwart the darkened chamber darts his ray.
1898. T. Hardy, Wessex Poems, 2. Thwart my wistful way did a damsel saunter.
2. Across the course or direction of; = ATHWART B. 3. Thwart the hawse († halse), across the stem of a ship. Chiefly Naut.
1495. Trevisa’s Barth. De P. R., V. vi. (W. de W.), g v/1. Two holowe synewes whiche ben callyd Optici … come eyther thwart other, and ben Ioyned in a poynte.
1620. in Foster, Eng. Factories Ind. (1906), 220. Intending with her to laie the Portingall admirall thwart the halse and soe to burne both together.
1622. R. Hawkins, Voy. S. Sea (1847), 85. For foure leagues into the sea (thwart it), lye banks of sand.
1737. Bracken, Farriery Impr. (1756), I. 54. Fibres that cross and go thwart one another.
† 3. Across the course of, so as to obstruct; = ATHWART B. 5. Obs.
1641. Milton, Reform., I. Wks. 1851, III. 31. Crosse-jingling periods which … come thwart a setl’d devotion worse then the din of bells and rattles.
C. adj.
1. Lying, extending, or passing across; transverse, cross; in quots. 1483, 1712, perh. oblique. † Thwart circle, the zodiac (obs.). See also THWART-SAW.
1404. [implied in THWART-SAW].
1483. Caxton, Gold. Leg., 121. b/1. It was made lyke a crosse thwart of whyche the two endes were fyxed in therthe. And that hys membres shold theron be broken.
1551. Recorde, Cast. Knowl. (1556), 30. The Zodiak (whiche many doo call the Thwarte circle).
1658. J. Rowland, Moufet’s Theat. Ins., 971. The last part is whitish, chequered with right and thwart fibres.
1712. J. James, trans. Le Blond’s Gardening, 41. The Diagonal or Thwart-walk.
1836. W. Irving, Astoria (1849), 86. They have thwart pieces from side to side about three inches thick.
1873. Proctor, Expanse Heav., 282. The determination of the actual rate of any star’s thwart motion.
2. fig. a. Of persons or their attributes: Disposed to resist, oppose, or obstruct; cross-grained; perverse froward, obstinate, stubborn, awkward.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 3099. Ðo pharaun saȝ is lond al fre, His herte ðo wurð ðwert and hard.
1602. 2nd Pt. Return fr. Parnass., III. iv. This old Sir Raderick it shall be thy taske to cudgell with thy thick thwart termes.
1605. Bacon, Adv. Learn., I. ii. § 8. Ignorance makes them [the minds of men] churlish, thwart, and mutinous.
1656. Baxter, Reformed Pastor, 234. I would not have any to be thwart and contentious with those that govern them.
1819. Shelley, Prometh. Unb., II. ii. 90. Noontide would come, And thwart Silenus find his goats undrawn.
1892. Stevenson, Across the Plains, 238. The class public or the thwart reviewer.
b. Of things: Adverse, unfavorable, untoward, unpropitious; esp. applied (with mixture of literal sense) to a wind or current: cross.
1610. Healey, St. Aug. Citie of God, 129. These thwart effects fell out even then when things were said to be carried … so justly.
1621. Lady M. Wroth, Urania, 472. Not only neere it in blood, but allyed in thwart fortune.
a. 1660. Contemp. Hist. Irel. (Ir. Archæol. Soc.), II. 36. This secret and thwarte dealinge is worse then open and publicke violence. Ibid., III. 42. A demonstration of theire reciprocall thwarte dealinge.
1865. Swinburne, Atalanta, 184. A thwart sea-wind full of rain and foam.
1889. Skrine, Mem. E. Thring, 235. In spite of these thwart currents, Thring built up his large school.
† 3. Opposed, contrary (to); in quot. 1614, opposed in sense, antithetical, contrasted. Obs.
a. 1601. ? Marston, Pasquil & Kath., I. 304. Why should you runne an Idle counter-course Thwart to the path of fashion?
1614. T. Adams, Fatal Banquet, iv. Wks. 1861, I. 216. A pair of cross and thwart sentences, handled rather by collation than relation, whose conjunction is disjunctive.
1615. Jackson, Creed, IV. II. vi. § 5. A meaning as ridiculous, as thwart and contradictory to his purpose as the devil himself could have devised.
1624. Bp. Mountagu, Gagg, Pref. 23. To be thwart unto, and against the maine of the business negotiated.
