traverse

[trav-ers, truh-vurs] /ˈtræv ərs, trəˈvɜrs/
verb (used with object), traversed, traversing.
1.
to pass or move over, along, or through.
2.
to go to and fro over or along.
3.
to extend across or over:
A bridge traverses the stream.
4.
to go up, down, or across (a rope, mountain, hill, etc.) at an angle:
The climbers traversed the east face of the mountain.
5.
to ski across (a hill or slope).
6.
to cause to move laterally.
7.
to look over, examine, or consider carefully; review; survey.
8.
to go counter to; obstruct; thwart.
9.
to contradict or deny.
10.
Law.
  1. (in the law of pleading) to deny formally (an allegation of fact set forth in a previous pleading).
  2. to join issue upon.
11.
to turn and point (a gun) in any direction.
verb (used without object), traversed, traversing.
12.
to pass along or go across something; cross:
a point in the river where we could traverse.
13.
to ski across a hill or slope on a diagonal.
14.
to turn laterally, as a gun.
15.
Fencing. to glide the blade toward the hilt of the contestant's foil while applying pressure to the blade.
noun
16.
the act of passing across, over, or through.
17.
something that crosses, obstructs, or thwarts; obstacle.
18.
a transversal or similar line.
19.
a place where one may traverse or cross; crossing.
20.
Architecture. a transverse gallery or loft of communication in a church or other large building.
21.
a bar, strip, rod, or other structural part placed or extending across; crosspiece; crossbar.
22.
a railing, lattice, or screen serving as a barrier.
23.
Nautical.
  1. the zigzag track of a vessel compelled by contrary winds or currents to sail on different courses.
  2. each of the runs in a single direction made in such sailing.
24.
Fortification.
  1. a defensive barrier, parapet, or the like, placed transversely.
  2. a defensive barrier thrown across the terreplein or the covered way of a fortification to protect it from enfilade fire.
25.
Gunnery. the horizontal turning of a gun so as to make it point in any required direction.
26.
Machinery.
  1. the motion of a lathe tool or grinding wheel along a piece of work.
  2. a part moving along a piece of work in this way, as the carriage of a lathe.
27.
Surveying. a series of intersecting surveyed lines whose lengths and angles of intersection, measured at instrument stations, are recorded graphically on a map and in numerical form in data tables.
Compare closed traverse.
28.
Law. a formal denial of some matter of fact alleged by the other side.
adjective
29.
lying, extending, or passing across; transverse.
Origin
1250-1300; (v.) Middle English traversen < Middle French traverser to cross < Late Latin trānsversāre, derivative of Latin trānsversus (see trans-, versus); (noun) Middle English travers(e) < Middle French traverse (< Latin trānsversa something lying across, feminine of trānsversus) and travers (< Latin trānsversum passage across, neuter of trānsversus)
Related forms
traversable, adjective
traversal, noun
traverser, noun
nontraversable, adjective
retraverse, verb, retraversed, retraversing.
untraversable, adjective
untraversed, adjective
Synonyms
1. cross. 9. gainsay, dispute, challenge.
British Dictionary definitions for traversal

traverse

/ˈtrævɜːs; trəˈvɜːs/
verb
1.
to pass or go over or back and forth over (something); cross
2.
(transitive) to go against; oppose; obstruct
3.
to move or cause to move sideways or crosswise
4.
(transitive) to extend or reach across
5.
to turn (an artillery gun) laterally on its pivot or mount or (of an artillery gun) to turn laterally
6.
(transitive) to look over or examine carefully
7.
(transitive) (law) to deny (an allegation of fact), as in pleading
8.
(intransitive) (fencing) to slide one's blade towards an opponent's hilt while applying pressure against his blade
9.
(mountaineering) to move across (a face) horizontally
10.
(transitive) (nautical) to brace (a yard) fore and aft
noun
11.
something being or lying across, such as a transom
12.
a gallery or loft inside a building that crosses it
13.
(maths) another name for transversal (sense 1)
14.
an obstruction or hindrance
15.
(fortifications) a protective bank or other barrier across a trench or rampart
16.
a railing, screen, or curtain
17.
the act or an instance of traversing or crossing
18.
a path or road across
19.
(nautical) the zigzag course of a vessel tacking frequently
20.
(law) the formal denial of a fact alleged in the opposite party's pleading
21.
(surveying) a survey consisting of a series of straight lines, the length of each and the angle between them being measured
22.
(mountaineering) a horizontal move across a face
adjective
23.
being or lying across; transverse
adverb
24.
an archaic word for across
Derived Forms
traversable, adjective
traversal, noun
traverser, noun
Word Origin
C14: from Old French traverser, from Late Latin trānsversāre, from Latin trānsversustransverse
Word Origin and History for traversal

traverse

v.

early 14c., "pass across, over, or through," from Old French traverser "to cross, thwart" (11c.), from Vulgar Latin *traversare, from Latin transversare "to cross, throw across," from Latin transversus "turn across" (see transverse). The noun meaning "act of passing through a gate, crossing a bridge, etc." is recorded from mid-14c.; meaning "a passage by which one may traverse" is recorded from 1670s. Military foritifcation sense of "barrier, barricade" is recorded from 1590s. Related: Traversed; traversing.

traversal in Technology

data
Processing nodes in a graph one at a time, usually in some specified order. Traversal of a tree is recursively defined to mean visiting the root node and traversing its children. Visiting a node usually involves transforming it in some way or collecting data from it.
In "pre-order traversal", a node is visited __before__ its children. In "post-order" traversal, a node is visited __after__ its children. The more rarely used "in-order" traversal is generally applicable only to binary trees, and is where you visit first a node's left child, then the node itself, and then its right child.
For the binary tree:
T / \ I S / \ D E
A pre-order traversal visits the nodes in the order T I D E S. A post-order traversal visits them in the order D E I S T. An in-order traversal visits them in the order D I E T S.
(2001-10-01)