Forms: 4–7 trauerse, (4 Sc. trawers), 5–7 trauers, travers, (6 trauarse, trauerce), 6– traverse. Pa. t. and pple. traversed: formerly often traverst. Also β. 5 trauess, 6 Sc. trevess, treviss, treveiss, 6–7 traues, -ves; 4–5 trauys, 5 trauiss, 6 trauice, 6–7 trauise, 7 traviss; 6–7 (9 dial.) travish; 6 trauas, -ase, -aise, 6–8 travas. [a. F. traverser (11th c.) to cross, thwart, f. travers TRAVERSE sb. or a. Cf. Prov. traversar, Sp. travesar, Cat. -essar, It. traversare:—late pop.L. trāversāre for transversāre, in late L. to cross, throw across, f. trāversus = transversus, pa. pple. of transvertĕre to turn across: see TRANSVERT v. The β-forms are popular corruptions, due to phonetic weakening of second syllable: cf. the Sp. and Cat. forms.]
I. To run across or through; to cross.
For intransitive uses related to these, see branch IV.
1. trans. † a. To run (something) through with a weapon; to pierce, stab (obs.); b. to pass through as a weapon, to penetrate, pierce. Now rare.
c. 1400. Laud Troy Bk., 5841. With a spere he him trauersed.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, X. viii. 98. The schaft … throw the bordour of the scheyld swa persyt, Quhill fynaly in sum deyll it traversyt, And hurt a part of Turnus big body.
1613. R. Cawdrey, Table Alph. (ed. 3), Trauerse, strike, or thrust through.
1846. Brittan, trans. Malgaigne’s Man. Oper. Surg., 410. The needles … traverse the intestine on the opposite side.
1878. Browning, La Saisiaz, 356. While I watch it [torture] traversing the human heart.
c. To cross (a thing) with a line, stripe, bar, barrier, or anything that intersects. In passive, To be crossed with lines, etc. Now rare.
c. 1420. Anturs of Arth., 354 (Thornton MS.). In paulle purede with pane, fulle precyously dyghte, Trofelyte and trauerste wythe trewloues in trete.
a. 1548. Hall, Chron. Hen. VIII., 6 b. Twoo long gounes of yelowe satin, trauarsed with white satin.
1600. Dymmok, Ireland (1843), 45. The rebells traversed the same [entrance] with a barricado with doble flancks.
1748. Anson’s Voy., II. vi. 196. They traversed the streets with barricadoes.
a. 1810. Tannahill, Poems (1846), 37. His chequered robes excited their surprise, Richly travers’d with various glowing dyes.
† d. To get across (a horse); to mount, bestride.
1438. Bk. Alexander Gt. (Bann. Cl.), 101. Bot he had nocht this counsale than, Trauersit his hors as michty man, He turnit nocht abasitly.
e. Her. To place across or crosswise (on the shield).
1610. Bolton, Elem. Armories, 21. Three parallel Arrowes trauersed barre-ways.
2. To cross (a mountain, river, sea) in traveling; now esp. to pass or journey across, over, or through; to pass through (a region) from side to side, or from end to end; also, to pass through (a space or solid body), as rays of light, etc.
In quot. 1708, to pass the fingers across.
c. 1489. Caxton, Sonnes of Aymon, iii. 105. Every man wente to hys countrey not the ryght waye but traversynge the mountaynes.
1590. Greene, Mourn. Garm. (1616), 4. What Experience Vlisses got by trauersing strange Countries.
1667. Milton, P. L., IX. 66. Thrice the Equinoctial Line He circl’d; four times cross’d the Carr of Night From Pole to Pole, traversing each Colure.
1708. J. Philips, Cyder, Poems (1778), 111. Blind British bards with volant touch Traverse loquacious strings.
1748. Anson’s Voy., Introd. C iv b. The Manila ships are the only ones which have ever traversed this vast ocean.
1839. G. Bird, Nat. Phil., 264. Currents of positive electricity will traverse the wire.
1868. Lyell, Princ. Geol. (ed. 10), II. III. xxxix. 355. The jaguar traverses with ease the largest streams.
1880. C. R. Markham, Peruv. Bark, 49. They traversed the valley of Chinchao.
β. a. 1533. Ld. Berners, Huon, xxxv. 111. Thou dydest swym in ye see, & trauesyd ye grete waues.
1585. T. Washington, trans. Nicholay’s Voy., II. xi. 45 b. Trauishing this goulph, a Northerly wynde came full in the face of vs.
b. To trace (a geometrical figure, or part of one) continuously without lifting the pen or pencil. Also intr. or absol.
1905. J. C. Wilson, Traversing Geometr. Figures, I. § 1. 5. To traverse in a figure, or in a part of it, is to trace a path along its lines, no line being traced twice over, ending at a point at which no path in the figure, or the given part of it, remains untraced. Ibid., § 9. 16. Rules for traversing figures which can be exhausted by a single traverse.
3. fig. (and in fig. context). To ‘go through’ (life, time, or anything figured as an extended space or region); to read through or consider thoroughly (a subject, treatise, etc.).
c. 1477. Caxton, Jason, 4. Their lyf was trauersid in contynuelle bewailing.
1573. Tusser, Husb. (1878), 137. Timelie to trauerse the thing that thou triue.
a. 1716. South, Serm. (1744), X. 186. Traversing those several Scriptures, which these men alledge in the behalf of their opinion.
1823. Scott, Quentin D., iv. Such were the thoughts which hastily traversed the mind of young Durward.
1874. Green, Short Hist., vii. § 6. 398. It was in the years which we are traversing that England became firmly Protestant.
β. 1590. Nashe, Pasquil’s Apol., I. A iv. M. Bucer, Peter Martyr, and … the B. of Sarisburie, haue trauast our Church with as graue a gate as he.
1606. S. Gardiner, Bk. Angling, To Rdr. After thou hast but cursorily trauised this Treatise.
1616. W. Forde, Serm., 4. We will, by Gods assistance … travish the same ground we have began to tread.
4. Of a thing: To lie, be situated, extend, stretch, or ‘run’ across (something); to cross, intersect.
1481. Caxton, Myrr., II. iii. 68. Thise two flodes [Tygris & Eufrates] trauerse many grete contrees.
1682. Sir H. Piers, Descr. Westmeath, in Collect. de Rebus Hibern., I. 65. The lintel that traverseth the head of the door is of one entire stone.
1683. Brit. Spec., 145. The Romans gave them their help to build another Wall of Stone,… traversing the Island in a direct line from East to West.
1748. Anson’s Voy., II. iii. 142. The country in the neighbourhood was so … traversed with mountains.
1829. I. Taylor, Enthus., viii. 204. The dead solitudes of sand, traversed … by the Nile.
1835. W. Irving, Tour Prairies, xviii. 155. Deeply worn footpaths … traversing the country.
1851. Richardson, Geol., viii. 270. Canals that everywhere traverse bone … called Haversian.
5. To go to and fro over or along; to cross and recross. To traverse one’s ground, to move from side to side, in fencing or fighting.
1590. Spenser, F. Q., II. viii. 35. So both attonce him charge … With hideous strokes … That forced him his ground to traverse wyde.
1595. Locrine, I. Prol. 5. A mightie Lion, ruler of the woods,… Traverst the groues.
1625. K. Long, trans. Barclay’s Argenis, IV. xiii. 283. He … traversed his ground, came on, and gave backe, tyring his Enemy with change of play.
1829. Scott, Anne of G., xxv. The Duke traversed the apartment with unequal steps, in much agitation.
1878. C. Stanford, Symb. Christ, v. 142. The spirit of evil traversing the earth to tempt the members of Christ’s flock.
β. 1577. Harrison, England, II. xiv. (1877), I. 265. To meet with his enimie in the plaine field … where he may trauaise his ground.
1592. Wyrley, Armorie, Capitall de Buz, 152. Trauasing Fraunce vp and downe at pleasure.
1613. Sir E. Hoby, Countersnarle, 27. Thus doth this Spider-Catcher travaise his ground, with a goodly flourish.
† 6. Carpentry. To plane (wood) across the grain. Obs.
1678. [see TRAVERSING vbl. sb.].
1703. T. N., City. & C. Purchaser, 268. Traverse, A Term in Joynery, signifying to plain a Board, (or the like) across the Grain.
7. Surveying. To determine the positions of points on the earth’s surface by measuring the lengths and azimuths of a connected series of straight lines; to make or execute a traverse (TRAVERSE sb. 3) of (a region); to delimit (an area) by thus determining the position of points on its boundaries; to trace the course of (a road, river, etc.) in this way.
1874. C. C. King, Map. & Plan Drawing, 69. The next operation is that of tracing, or, as it is technically called, ‘traversing,’ any roads that may intersect the area, or if none be present, a line passing through that portion which contains the largest number of natural or artificial peculiarities.
1900. H. M. Wilson, Topogr. Survey., x. 195. Their topography is most easily obtained by means of traversing.
1908. H. Lyons, Cadastral Surv. Egypt, 211. The province … was divided up into sections … which approximated to districts, and these large blocks were traversed with care, the work being done by the more efficient of the staff who also traversed the villages lying on the boundary.
II. To turn, move, or bring (a thing) across.
8. trans. To alter the position of (a gun, etc.) laterally, so as to take aim. Also absol.
1628. Digby, Voy. Medit. (1868), 78. His men … were seene busie trauersing their gunnes vpon the Eagle.
1688. R. Holme, Armoury, III. xviii. (Roxb.), 140/2. The laying or remoueing of a peece of Ordinance till it come to lie with the marke, is termed traversing of the peece.
1727–41. Chambers, Cycl., Traverse, in gunnery, signifies to turn or point a piece of ordnance … upon her platform.
1859. F. A. Griffiths, Artill. Man. (1862), 196. No. 3 … traverses with the handspike.
1899. Westm. Gaz., 30 Nov., 4/2. The gun can be traversed—that is, the direction of its aim laterally can be varied—by means of a wooden handspike.
β. 1622. R. Hawkins, Voy. S. Sea (1847), 195. An English gunner … being travesing of a peece in the bowe, to make his shott, had his head carryed away with the first or second shott made out of our shippe.
1627. Capt. Smith, Seaman’s Gram., xiv. 65. To trauas a Peece is to turne her which way you will vpon her Platforme.
1644. Nye, Gunnery, II. (1670), 2. There you may best observe, as the Peece is travissing, when you are in a direct line with the Mark.
1704. J. Harris, Lex. Techn., I. Travas, a Term in Gunnery.
b. intr. To carry a gun so that it points at the head or body of another sportsman.
1886. Badminton Libr., Shooting (1895), 177. Many men who shoot a great deal ‘traverse’ habitually, and the habit once acquired is most difficult to eradicate.
† 9. To turn away, to divert; fig. to pervert. Obs. rare.
1633. Sir E. Digby, Sp., in Rushw., Hist. Coll. (1659), I. 132. For the Recovery of the Patrimony belonging to the King of Bohemia, now almost traversed from him, and in the possession of a powerful Enemy.
1689. Owen, True Nat. Gosp. Ch., x. Wks. 1855, XVI. 183. It is the mystery of iniquity that hath traversed these things into … a posture unintelligible to spiritual wisdom.
10. To carry in a trailing manner; to trail. dial.
1814. W. Nicholson, Peacock, III. 22. So ha’e I seen … mystic knighthood o’ the apron; Wi’ empty pride, in monkish gown, Travish a Bible thro’ the town.
1824. Mactaggart, Gallovid. Encycl., Travish, to carry after a trailing manner.
II. To direct oneself or act against.
11. trans. To act against, to go counter to; to cross, thwart, oppose.
c. 1400. Gosp. Nicodemus, 1301 (Galba MS.). He has me tenid and trauerst [14[?] v.r. trauyst] ay in all þe werkes I haue wroght.
14[?]. Beryn, 3411. We submit vs all … nevir for to travers o word þat þow seyst.
1548. Udall, Erasm. Par. Luke xii. 119. The vnluckie ende of trauersing the lawe.
1652. Needham, trans. Selden’s Mare Cl., 2. Here … the difficultie ceased not, becaus som did travers the execution of the sentence.
1712. Arbuthnot, John Bull, IV. iii. He resolved to traverse this new project.
1771. Luckombe, Hist. Print., 274. To inclose a whole sentence between Parentheses … is traversing the intention of Parentheses.
1855. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., xvii. IV. 75. Berwick had sent Maxwell to watch their motions and to traverse their designs.
β. 14[?]. [see α].
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., xxv. 153. That trature trauesses vs all way.
c. 1480. Kyng & Hermit, 87, in Hazl., E. P. P., I. 17. When that they were travyst [? travayst] And of herborow were abayst.
† b. intr. To go (against), go counter. Obs. rare.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. XII. 284. Trewth þat trespassed neuere ne transuersed [v.r. trauersed] aȝeines his lawe. Ibid. (1393), C. IV. 449. Ho so takeþ aȝen treuthe oþer transuerseþ [v.r. trauerseth] aȝens reson.
12. trans. Law. To contradict formally (a matter of fact alleged in the previous pleading); to deny at law; spec. in phr. to traverse an indictment, to deny or take issue upon an indictment; to traverse an office, to deny or impeach the validity of an inquest of office. Also absol.
[1292. Britton, II. xxvi. § 2. Et autres plusours excepciouns … porra le tenaunt traverser, et dire, qe il ne fust unques seisi.]
a. 1325. MS. Rawl. B. 520, lf. 96 b. Þer me ne mai noȝt vochen warant out of þe lignage bote onliche trauersen þe Entree.
1467. in Eng. Gilds (1870), 394. To travers the seid presentements or accusement for his acquitalle.
1553. T. Wilson, Rhet., 47. In traversyng a cause before a judge.
1588. Lambarde, Eiren., IV. xiii. 542. To Trauerse an Enditement … is to take issue vpon the chiefe matter therof, which is none other … then … to deny the point of the Enditement.
1647. N. Bacon, Disc. Govt. Eng., I. xxxvi. (1739), 54. In the answer of the Defendant, he either traversed the matter in fact, or confessed and justified, or confessed and submitted.
1791. Hampson, Mem. J. Wesley, II. 33. If they were disappointed at the quarter sessions,… they traversed and appealed to the upper courts.
1823. Rep. Sel. Comm. Sewers Metrop., 17. In all cases where the presentment of the jury is traversed,… that traverse must be tried by another jury, to be summoned by the sheriff, which is called a traverse jury.
1911. Odgers, Comm. Law Eng., V. xvii. II. 1214. Allegations of fact alone should be traversed, and these he must not traverse ‘evasively, but answer the point of substance.’
† b. To affirm, by way of contradicting a charge or allegation. Obs.
1491. Act 7 Hen. VII., c. 2 § 4. Yf … any man will travers that the seid Warrant is not the dede of hym that is named.
1654. Fuller, Two Serm., 16. What will it benefit a Lamb to traverse his innocence in the pawes of a Lyon?
† 13. To dispute; to discuss. Obs.
c. 1440. Partonope, 1772. Eche man did travers Others witte.
1503. Hawes, Examp. Virt., xxviii. Longe haue they trauerst … Whiche of them sholde haue the preemynence.
1549. Coverdale, etc., Erasm. Par. 1 Cor. 16. The matter … muste bee trauersed before the commen officers.
1589. Nashe, Anat. Absurd., Epist. ¶ iij. Amongst other talke which was generally traversed amongst us. Ibid. (1599), Lenten Stuffe (1871), 29. I could run ten quires of paper out of breath, in further traversing her rights and dignities.
IV. Intransitive senses allied to I and II.
These do not appear in Fr., in which traverser is always transitive. But in Eng. they sonetimes appear earlier than the transitive senses to which they are specially allied.
14. intr. To move, pass, or go across; to cross, cross over; (of a ship) to tack. (Cf. 2 and 5.)
1375. Barbour, Bruce, XVII. 532. So lang thai raid distroyande swa, As thai trauersit to and fra.
1517. Torkington, Pilgr. (1884), 6. We traversed owt of that Ryver into a nother lytell Ryver.
1677. W. Hubbard, Narrative, Pref. Purchase wrote much, Hacluyt traversed farr.
1782. Eliz. Blower, Geo. Bateman, II. 124. For some minutes he traversed backwards and forwards from the window to the door.
1897. Scotsman, 14 May, 6/1. The railway would so seriously injure the scenery of the valley and lake along which it would traverse.
β. 1438. Bk. Alexander Gt. (Bann. Cl.), 85. Daucline … Trauissit challange for to maik.
1568. Satir. Poems Reform., xlvi. 53. Steir be the compas … Syne treveiss still, and lay abowt.
a. 1578. Lindesay (Pitscottie), Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.), I. 213. Thair was tuo schipis … trevessing wpe and doune the firth.
1591. Lyly, Endym., III. iii. We will trauice. Will you goe, sir?
1892. Quiller-Couch, Three Ships, etc., 179. Not a tint did he work, but kept travishing back and forth.
b. fig.
1566. Painter, Pal. Pleas., I. 90. This miserable louer, trauersing in seuerall mindes,… chaunged his mynde a thousand times in an hower.
1645. Milton, Tetrach., Wks. 1738, I. 250. That it does not traverse from the Closet of Conscience to the Courts of Civil or Canon Law.
1747. Mem. Nutrebian Crt., I. 203. We shall traverse back to some particulars of her education.
1824. Galt, Rothelan, II. xiii. His thoughts tossed and traversed like the inconstant clouds.
† c. In dancing: see quot. 1616. Obs.
1584. B. R., trans. Herodotus, II. 86. Many [women] trauise & daunce minionly.
1616. Bullokar, Eng. Expos., Trauerse, to march vp and downe or to moue the feete with proportion, as in dancing.
15. To move from side to side; to dodge (cf. 5); in quot. 1635 trans. to drive by ‘traversing.’ Obs. or arch.
1470–85. Malory, Arthur, X. xxx. 463. Thus they tracyd and trauercyd and hewe on helmes and hawberkes.
a. 1548. Hall, Chron., Hen. V., 50. Thus this battaile continued iii long houres, some strake, some defended, some foyned, some trauersed, some kylled, some toke prisoners.
1598. Shaks., Merry W., II. iii. 25. To see thee fight, to see thee foigne, to see thee trauerse.
1635. Earl Strafford, Lett. & Disp. (1739), I. 478. He shall be a very artificial Fencer … that traverseth me forth of my Ground.
1823. Scott, Quentin D., xiv. To harass his antagonist, by traversing on all sides, with a suddenness of motion and rapidity of attack.
1858. Morris, Def. Guenevere, 13. The fight began,… Ever Sir Launcelot kept him on the right, And traversed warily.
† 16. To digress. Obs. rare.
1530. Palsgr., 761/2. I traverse, I go from one mater to an other…. Nowe you leave the purpose and begyn to traverse.
17. To come or fall across each other; to cross. (Cf. 4.)
1669. Sturmy, Mariner’s Mag., I. ii. 17. It bloweth a storm—furle the Sail fast, and fasten the Yards, that they may not travers and gall.
18. To run freely in its proper socket, ring, channel, or course (as a rope); to turn or move freely from side to side on a traverse-circle (as a gun); to turn about on a pivot (as the needle of the compass). (Cf. 8.)
1829. Marryat, F. Mildmay, xxiii. Sharp frosts … obliged us to pour boiling water into the sheaves of the blocks to thaw them, and allow the ropes to traverse.
1832. Nat. Philos., II. Magnetism, iii. § 91. 22 (Usef. Knowl. Soc.). In moving … towards the position which it thus tends to assume, the needle of the compass is said to traverse.
1849. Cupples, Green Hand, iv. The tiller-ropes cheeping as they traversed.
1851. Ord. & Regul. R. Engineers, § 19. 94. Iron Traversing Platforms … so constructed, that … they may be made to traverse in any direction.
1856. Kane, Arct. Expl., I. x. 113. It traversed freely by a ring on a loop or bridle.
1863. Possibilities of Creation, 175. Let the head … have no power of traversing upon the atlas, and let that … spinal column … become as stiff as an iron bar, and … poor humanity would be completely crippled.
19. a. Falconry. To move from side to side, to wriggle, as a hawk. b. Manège. To advance obliquely, as a horse: see quot. 1753.
1486. Bk. St. Albans, Hawking, a vij. Ye shall knawe it whan she puttith ouer she trauersith withe hir bodi.
1544. Betham, Precepts War, I. cxi. F v b. To take vp his horse with the spurres, that he may praunse, trauerse, and flyng wyth the heeles.
1610. Guillim, Heraldry, III. xx. (1660), 223. She [a Hawk] putteth over, when she removeth her meat from her Gorge, into her Bowels, by traversing with her body, but chiefly with her Neck, as a Crane … doth.
1753. Chambers, Cycl. Supp., s.v., A horse is said to traverse, when he cuts his tread cross-wise; throwing his croupe to one side, and his head to another.
1884. E. L. Anderson, Mod. Horsemanship, II. xii. 119. Traversing is the movement in which the horse passes to either side … upon two paths, the forehand following one, the hind-quarters, slightly retired, the other.
20. To advance or ascend in a zigzag line. (Cf. TRAVERSE sb. 12 c.)
1773. Johnson, Lett. to Mrs. Thrale, 6 Sept. Our way now lay over the mountains, which are not to be passed by climbing them directly, but by traversing.
21. Mountaineering. To make one’s way in a horizontal or transverse direction across the face of a mountain or rock. (See TRAVERSE sb. 6.)
1893. C. Wilson, Mountaineering, vi. 88. To traverse for some distance on steep snow or grass. Ibid., Gloss., Traverse,… (a.) to cross a mountain slope horizontally.
1897. O. G. Jones, Rock-climbing, 123. At the foot we joined up again and traversed round to the ‘sheep walk.’ Ibid., 269. The climber hangs by his hands,… and traverses across the face by sheer strength of his arms.
V. From TRAVERSE sb.
22. trans. To furnish or fortify with a traverse or traverses (see TRAVERSE sb. 16). rare.
1828. J. M. Spearman, Brit. Gunner (ed. 2), 360. Or 170 shells, filled with powder, that were fired at the work when traversed, 58 took effect;… the effect on the traverses was considerable, and they were much ruined.
