Transverse

Transverse is an adjective used to describe something oriented across or perpendicular to a reference direction. The term comes from Latin transversus, meaning turned across. It is used across science, engineering, anatomy, and geography to denote crosswise or perpendicular relationships, as opposed to longitudinal arrangements along a primary axis.

In physics, a transverse orientation is central to transverse waves, where the displacement of the medium is perpendicular to the direction of travel. Light and other electromagnetic radiation are described as transverse waves, with polarization referring to the orientation of the oscillations. By contrast, longitudinal waves, such as sound in air, oscillate in the direction of propagation.

In geometry and anatomy, transverse has several precise uses. A transversal is a line that intersects two or more lines. The transverse plane (also called the horizontal plane) divides the body into superior and inferior parts. In vertebral anatomy, the transverse process is a lateral bony projection.

In medicine and imaging, transverse sections or slices are cross-sectional views of a body or object, used in CT and MRI scans. The term also appears in anatomy for the transverse colon, a part of the large intestine crossing the abdomen from right to left.

Other uses include the transverse engine configuration, in which an engine is mounted sideways relative to the vehicle’s direction, common in front-wheel-drive cars. In cartography, the Transverse Mercator projection maps locations by projecting onto a middle meridian, producing a transverse coordinate grid.