Both Uses of
traverse
in
The Scarlet Letter
- It was the subject of my meditations for many an hour, while pacing to and fro across my room, or traversing, with a hundredfold repetition, the long extent from the front door of the Custom-House to the side entrance, and back again.†
p. 33.4traversing = traveling across
- Looking instinctively from the open window—for it was summer-time—the minister beheld Hester Prynne and little Pearl passing along the footpath that traversed the enclosure.†
p. 123.5 *traversed = traveled across
Definitions:
-
(1)
(traverse) travel across
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Traverse is used in many senses. All the common ones reference crossing something; e.g., crossing terrain, a beam that extends across something, etc. A comprehensive dictionary will show less common meanings.