traverser

Pronunciation

• IPA: /tʁa.vɛʁ.se/^[1]

Forms

traverser^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *trāversō, an alteration of classical trānsversō (“to stir crosswise, (late) to cross from side to side”), from trānsversus (“crosswise”) (whence travers).^{[2][3][4][5][6]} “Trānsversus” is the participle of trānsvertō (“to turn across”), from vertō (“to turn”).^[7] Virgil used “transversare” in its rare sense “to stir crosswise”.^[3]

Cognate with Old Occitan traversar, Catalan travessar, Spanish travesar and Italian traversare.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Passion of Clermont (late 10th century) it is figurative, “to pierce through”; the Chanson de Roland has traversent quatre punz, “they cross four bridges”.^[2][8]

Semantic evolution

From about 1140 it meant to travel across a space from end to end, and in the second half of the 13th century to cross something lengthwise, such as a road or a river.^[2] Of things without motion it meant “to stretch across” (Palissy, 1580: un chemin traverse la forêt), and of a person to force a way through a crowd (1580).^[2][3] In the 19th century it took the senses of going through a period (Delille, 1808, traverser les âges, Lamartine, 1839) and of an idea flashing through the mind.^[2][3]

Old senses now gone are “to thwart, oppose” (1174–76) and “to torment” (1621).^[2][3] In the Académie dictionary of 1718 traversé de pluie means soaked to the skin; the noun traversée (1678) is a crossing, especially by sea.^[3][5]

Timeline

• Late 10th century – “To pierce”, Passion of Clermont.^[2]
• c. 1100 – Traversent quatre punz, Chanson de Roland.^[2][8]
• c. 1140 – To travel across a space.^[2]
• 1174–76 – “To thwart”.^[2]
• 1580 – “To stretch across”, Palissy.^[2]
• 1678 – The noun traversée.^[5]
• 1808 – To go through a period, Delille.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To cross, go across: traverser la rue, un pont, la Manche.^[1][9]
2. To pass through, go through from end to end: traverser une ville, une forêt.^[2][9]
3. To pierce, penetrate, soak through: la pluie a traversé mon manteau, une douleur le traversa.^[9][2]
4. (of a road, a river) To run across: la route traverse le village.^[8][2]
5. To go through (a period, a crisis): traverser une crise.^[2]
6. (of an idea) To cross (the mind): une idée m'a traversé l'esprit.^[3]

Word family

• traversée
• traversable
• retraverser

Related words

• travers
• traverse
• transversal

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 13/2, 218b
7. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert