Lewis & Short

trans-verto, ti, sum, 3, v. a., to turn or direct across or athwart (post-class.).

  1. I. Lit.: ut quae defensio fuerat, eadem in accusationem transverteretur, should be turned, converted, App. Mag. p. 325, 33: eorum consilia hac atque illac variā cogitatione, to turn over, Firm. Math. 6, 15.
  2. II. Transf., to turn away, avert: inimica, Arn. 7, 219: fortes meos, Tert. Praescr. 37.
    Hence, transversus (-vorsus) or trāver-sus, a, um, P. a., turned across; hence, going or lying across, athwart, crosswise; cross-, transverse, traverse (freq. and class.).
    1. A. Lit.: viae, cross-streets, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 53, § 119: tramites, Liv. 2, 39, 3: limites, id. 22, 12, 2: fossa, Caes. B. G. 2, 8: fossas viis praeducit, id. B. C. 1, 27: vallum, id. ib. 3, 63: tigna, id. ib. 2, 9: transversosque volare per imbres fulmina cernis, Lucr. 2, 213; cf.: nubila portabunt venti transversa per auras, id. 6, 190: Manilium nos vidimus transverso ambulantem foro, across the forum, Cic. de Or. 3, 33, 133: taleae ne plus quattuor digitos transversos emineant, four fingers across, four finger-breadths, Cato ap. Plin. 17, 18, 29, § 126; cf. prov.: si hercle tu ex isto loco Digitum transversum aut unguem latum excesseris, a fingerbreadth, Plaut. Aul. 1, 1, 18; so, digitus, Cic. Ac. 2, 18, 58 (v. digitus); for which, also: discedere a rectā conscientiā traversum unguem, id. Att. 13, 20, 4: (versibus) incomptis allinet atrum Transverso calamo signum, Hor. A. P. 447: ut transversus mons sulcetur, Col. 2, 4, 10: plurimum refert, concava sint (specula), an elata; transversa, an obliqua, Plin. 33, 9, 45, § 129.
      1. 2. Neutr. as subst.: transversum, i, a cross direction or position, only with prepp. adv., crosswise, transversely, etc.: non prorsus, verum ex transverso cedit, quasi cancer solet, obliquely, sideways, Plaut. Ps. 4, 1, 45: e transverso vacefit locus, Lucr. 6, 1018: paeninsula ad formam gladii in transversum porrecta, Plin. 4, 12, 26, § 83: in transversum positae (arbores), id. 16, 42, 81, § 222: aratione per transversum iteratā, id. 18, 20, 49, § 180; so id. 37, 9, 37, § 118 (al. saepe traversa): collectus pluvialis aquae transversum secans, intersecting diagonally, Front. Limit. p. 43 Goes.; cf. poet. in plur.: (venti) mutati transversa fremunt, at right angles to their former direction, Verg. A. 5, 19; so id. E. 3, 8; Val. Fl. 2, 154; Stat. Th. 1, 348.
    2. B. Trop.: transversa incurrit misera fortuna rei publicae, crossed, thwarted, Cic. Brut. 97, 331: cum coepit transversos agere felicitas, i. e. to lead aside or astray, Sen. Ep. 8, 3: transversum judicem ferre, Quint. 10, 1, 110; Plin. 9, 17, 31, § 67; 28, 1, 1, § 1.
      1. 2. Neutr. as subst.: transversum, i, n., only with prepp. adv.: ecce autem de transverso L. Caesar, ut veniam ad se, rogat, i. e. contrary to expectation, unexpectedly, Cic. Att. 15, 4, 5: ecce tibi iste de transverso, Heus, inquit, etc., Auct. Her. 4, 10, 14; for which: quod non exspectes, ex transverso fit, Petr. 55: haec calamitas ex transverso accidit, Scrib. Comp. 231.
        Hence, advv.
      1. 1. transversē (-vorsē), crosswise, transversely, obliquely: transverse describantur horae in columellā, Vitr. 9, 9, 7; Cels. 5, 26, 24; Veg. 2, 5, 1.
      2. 2. transversim, transversely, crosswise: obliquatis manibus, Tert. Bapt. 8.