Where does “traverse” come from?
Traverse comes from Middle English traversen, from Old French traverser, from Latin versus (turned), derived from Latin vertere (to turn), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wer- (to turn or rotate).
traverse (English): A route used in mountaineering, specifically rock...
Definitions
- A route used in mountaineering, specifically rock...
Ancestry of “traverse”, step by step
traverse traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English traversen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | traversen | — |
| 2 | Old French | traverser | to traverse; to cross; to go across |
| 3 | Latin | trāns | across, beyond |
| 4 | Latin | Padus | the River Po |
| 5 | Lepontic | Bodincus | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰudʰmḗn | bottom |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewbʰ- | deep |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |
via French traverse
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | traverse | crossing |
| 2 | German | Traverse | — |
| 3 | Italian | traversa | crossbeam, crosspiece, ledger; sleeper, tie; side... |
| 4 | Italian | traversare | to cross; to stow |
| 5 | Late Latin | transversare | — |
| 6 | Latin | transversus | turned across, lying across, from side to side;... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | *trānsworssos | transverse, across |