transit
15
8.9
- noun
- /ˈtrænzɪt/
- Archaic
:
teodolito
- The surveyor used a transit to measure the angles of the land accurately.
Examples
-
To create an accurate map, they set up a transit at the highest point of the hill.
-
Once again, Mason turned to the heavens and this time aligned the pair's transit along a north-south line.
Academic text (2006) -
Three years later, he made the equally amazing claim that he had seen a transit of Mercury himself!
Academic text (2006) -
Fred Espenak's website provides detailed transit times for most places on Earth.
Academic text (2004) -
A construction-grade transit ensured that the bottom of the pit was level.
Academic text (1998) -
Martin Hortensius had tried to observe the transit, but was foiled by bad weather.
Academic text (2006) -
Using a transit, the astronomer tracked the position of stars in the night sky.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A tool people use to measure side-to-side and up-and-down angles on land
Compounds
- Specialized
A number that shows a United States bank's location and tells which bank it is
A system of underground or above ground trains that carries many people quickly
- Specialized
A tool that measures how much a compass points away from true north
- Archaic
A telescope set east–west to record the exact time a star crosses the north–south line in the sky
- NSFW
An area of sea or land used as a route by smugglers to move drugs between places
How Precise
Surface Forms
Etymology
Transit comes from the Latin parts trans- 'across' and ire 'to go', the same root as transport. Think of the small telescope that 'goes across' or flips to measure angles, which is why a surveying instrument that turns is called a transit.