Definitions Related words Phrases Mentions History

Literary notes about Transverse (AI summary)

The term "transverse" is employed across a wide range of literary genres to describe elements that cut across or lie perpendicular to a primary axis. In scientific and anatomical works—from ancient texts like Galen's discussion of liver anatomy ([1], [2], [3]) to modern embryological descriptions in works such as those by Aesop and in the King James Bible ([4], [5], [6], [7])—it denotes cross-sectional views that reveal internal structure. At the same time, authors like J. M. Barrie and Lewis Carroll utilize "transverse" to elaborate on the spatial arrangement of biological forms ([8], [9], [10], [11]), while its application is not confined solely to biology; it appears in technical discussions of mechanical design and architecture ([12], [13], [14]) and even metaphorically, as seen in Santayana’s reflection on "transverse philosophy" ([15]). This multifaceted usage underscores the word’s versatility in conveying both precise physical orientation and abstract conceptual organization.
  1. 205 Jecoris portae , the transverse fissure, by which the portal vein enters the liver.
    — from Galen: On the Natural Faculties by Galen
  2. Alone of all organs the intestines consist of two coats of which both have their fibres transverse.
    — from Galen: On the Natural Faculties by Galen
  3. The outer coat has its fibres transverse, for the purpose of peristalsis.
    — from Galen: On the Natural Faculties by Galen
  4. 86 transverse section (slightly diagrammatic).
    — from The King James Version of the Bible
  5. 105 — Severance of the discoid mammal embryo from the yelk-sac, in transverse section (diagrammatic).
    — from Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
  6. 89 and 90 — Transverse section of cœlomula embryos of triton.
    — from The King James Version of the Bible
  7. 93 — Transverse section of the vertebrate-embryo of a bird (from a hen’s egg on the second day of incubation). (From Kölliker. )
    — from The King James Version of the Bible
  8. 211 — Transverse section of the head of the Amphioxus.
    — from Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
  9. 219 — Transverse section of the head of the Amphioxus (at the limit of the first and second third of the body).
    — from Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
  10. The two halves of the vertebrate body that are separated by this horizontal transverse axis and by the chorda have quite different characters.
    — from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
  11. 101 transverse section through the head (to the left through the gill-pouches, to the right through the gill-clefts).
    — from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
  12. At one end of this ghastly apartment was a large fire-grate, over the top of which were stretched some transverse iron bars, half devoured with rust.
    — from Ivanhoe: A Romance by Walter Scott
  13. The chief function of the keel is to distribute the load of the various weights to the transverse frames of the air-ship.
    — from The New Gresham Encyclopedia. A to Amide by Various
  14. The cars containing the engines, wireless-cabin, and pilot's cabin are suspended from the transverse frames.
    — from The New Gresham Encyclopedia. A to Amide by Various
  15. No new method, no transverse philosophy, would be requisite or fitted for the task.
    — from The Life of Reason: The Phases of Human Progress by George Santayana

More usage examples

Also see: Google, News, Images, Wikipedia, Reddit, BlueSky


Home   Reverse Dictionary / Thesaurus   Datamuse   Word games   Spruce   Feedback   Dark mode   Random word   Help


Color thesaurus

Use OneLook to find colors for words and words for colors

See an example

Literary notes

Use OneLook to learn how words are used by great writers

See an example

Word games

Try our innovative vocabulary games

Play Now

Read the latest OneLook newsletter issue: Threepeat Redux