traverse
truh-VURSS
/trəˈvɜːrs/
To travel across or through.
Often implies moving across a difficult or wide area, or moving back and forth over it.
The story behind the word. The word comes from the idea of 'turning across.' In medieval times, it was used to describe a beam that went across a building, and later, the act of moving across a territory.
Word relationships
- cross: Cross is simple and direct; traverse implies a more thorough or difficult movement.
- span: Span is usually used for bridges or time, not the act of traveling.
- remain: To stay in one spot.
Commonly confused with
- intersect: Intersect means to meet at a point; traverse means to go all the way across.
Word family
- traversal (noun): The act of traversing.
Collocations
- traverse the globe
- traverse the landscape
- traverse a path
- slowly traverse
Example sentences
- "The climbers had to traverse a narrow ridge with steep drops on both sides." Mountain climbing.
- "To traverse the desert, the caravan needed to carry enough water for forty days." Historical travel.
Memory hook
Think of a 'Traverse' as a 'Trans-Verse'—moving across the universe. Across and through.
When not to use
Don't use for simply 'walking' down a street; it suggests a more comprehensive or difficult crossing.
Fun facts
- In computer science, 'traversing' a tree or graph means visiting every single node in the structure.
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