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Added 9 October 2026

traverse

/tɹəˈvɝs/ noun

In Latin: trānseō, peragrō, ambulo Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about traverse at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A horizontal beam that extends across something.
A horizontal crosspiece across a window or separating a door from a window over it.
Taking a zigzag path on skis.

verb

Travel across or pass over.
The caravan covered almost 100 miles each day
To cover or extend over an area or time period.
Rivers traverse the valley floor
Deny formally (an allegation of fact by the opposing party) in a legal suit.

Origin

From Middle English traversen, from Old French traverser, from Latin trans (“across”) + versus (“turned”), perfect passive participle of Latin vertere (“to turn”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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