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Glite Dictionary
🔄 Changing period 💻 Web standard type
transitional

transitional

1 6.2
Of an HTML doctype that lets older tags work in old browsers
  • adjective
  • /trænˈzɪʃənl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : transicional
  • The use of a transitional doctype allows developers to incorporate outdated tags while gradually modernizing their code.
  • Transitional Justice
  • Transitional Government
  • transitional carcinoma

Examples

  • Self-closing tags don't work in either XHTML Transitional, Strict, or HTML5.

    Blog text (30)

  • When upgrading the website, we chose the HTML 4 transitional doctype to ensure compatibility with older browsers.

  • For our project, selecting a transitional HTML doctype was essential to support users with legacy systems.

Antonyms

permanent
650 3.2

Continuing for a long time and unlikely to change

fixed
1.8

Stays the same and cannot be changed

How Compatible

permissive
  • Jargon
14 4.9
transitional
  • Specialized
1 6.2
lenient
32 4.4
strict
359 3.2

Surface Forms

transitional positive

Morphology

transitional = transition (semi-transparent) = transition + al

The form is still based on transition + -al, but the HTML doctype sense is a specialized technical extension of the general idea of transition.

Etymology

Transitional in web use comes from the same root trans- meaning 'across' and gives the picture of a temporary bridge. So a transitional doctype lets older page tags keep working while a site moves across to newer standards.