Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- Athwart; across; crosswise; from side to side.
- Exceedingly; excessively.
- Across; from side to side of.
- On the other side of.
- Over against; opposite.
- Opposite; situated on the opposite side.
- Contrary; cross; perverse; contradictory.
- noun An adverse or thwarting circumstance.
- noun Contradiction; quarreling; wrangling.
- To cross; pass or lie across.
- To thwart; oppose; hinder.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun obsolete That which is overthwart; an adverse circumstance; opposition.
- transitive verb obsolete To cross; to oppose.
- adverb Across; crosswise; transversely.
- adjective Having a transverse position; placed or situated across; hence, opposite.
- adjective Crossing in kind or disposition; perverse; adverse; opposing.
- preposition Across; from alde to side of.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- preposition archaic From one side to the other of;
across . - noun obsolete That which is overthwart; an adverse circumstance; opposition.
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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When Sir Gawaine and Ettard awoke of their sleep, and found the naked sword overthwart their throats, then she knew well it was Sir
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When Sir Gawaine and Ettard awoke of their sleep, and found the naked sword overthwart their throats, then she knew well it was Sir Pelleas 'sword.
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For that piece that went upright from the earth to the head was of cypress; and the piece that went overthwart, to the which his hands were nailed, was of palm; and the stock, that stood within the earth, in the which was made the mortise, was of cedar; and the table above his head, that was a foot and an half long, on the which the title was written in
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Moyses, with the children of Israel, overthwart the see, alle drye, whan Pharao the Kyng of Egypt chaced hem.
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And he hath a crest of feathers upon his head more great than the peacock hath; and is neck his yellow after colour of an oriel that is a stone well shining, and his beak is coloured blue as ind; and his wings be of purple colour, and his tail is barred overthwart with green and yellow and red.
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And though ye cut them in never so many gobbets or parts, overthwart or endlong, evermore ye shall find in the midst the figure of the Holy Cross of our Lord
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Aftre passe men overthwart a gret ryvere, that men clepen Dalay: and that is the grettest ryvere of fressche water, that is in the world.
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And zee schulle undirstonde, that the cros of oure Lord was eyght cubytes long, and the overthwart piece was of lengthe thre cubytes and an half.
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Also in that contree, and in othere also, men fynden longe apples to selle, in hire cesoun: and men clepen hem apples of paradys; and thei ben righte swete and of gode savour. 74 And thoghe zee kutte hem in never so many gobettes or parties, overthwart or end longes, evermore zee schulle fynden in the myddes the figure of the Holy Cros of oure
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And the overhwart pece was of palme: for in the Olde Testament, it was ordyned, that whan on overcomen, he scholde be crowned with palme: and for thei trowed, that thei hadden the victorye of Crist Jesus, therfore made thei the overthwart pece of palme. 13 And the table of the tytle, thei maden of olyve; for olyve betokenethe pes.
bilby commented on the word overthwart
"But Sir Launcelot rode overthwart and endlong in a wild forest, and held no path but as wild adventure led him."
- Thomas Malory, 'The Holy Grail'.
September 8, 2009