I. ˈthwȯ(ə)r]t, -ȯ(ə)], nautical often ˈthȯ-; usu ]d.+V\ adverb
Etymology: Middle English thwert, thwart, from Old Norse thvert, from neuter of thverr transverse, oblique; akin to Old English thweorh transverse, crooked, angry, Old High German dwerah, twerh transverse, oblique, Gothic thwairhs angry, Latin torquēre to twist — more at torture
: thwartly , athwart
II. adjective
Etymology: Middle English thwert, thwart, from thwert, thwart, adverb
1. : situated or placed across something else : transverse , oblique
2. : perverse , stubborn , intractable
reasoning that defies thwart time — Times Literary Supplement
• thwartly adverb
III. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English thwerten, thwarten, from thwert, thwart, adverb
transitive verb
1.
a. : to run counter to : oppose , baffle , contravene
I did not like to thwart her in her present mood — Rose Macaulay
b. : to oppose successfully:
(1) : to defeat the hopes, aspirations or plans of
attempted to seize the governorship … was thwarted by the State Supreme Court — New Republic
religious taboos have not succeeded in thwarting lovers — Waldemar Kaempffert
(2) : to block or check the occurrence, performance, or completion of : prevent the development or fulfillment of
to prohibit children from reaching them would be to thwart the reading habit — Eamon Ryan
hesitated to thwart the whims of the king — J.H.Plumb
2.
a.
(1) : to move or pass through or across
(2) archaic : to cross the path of
b.
(1) obsolete : to lay across an object
(2) archaic : to cause to be crossed by or as if by an overlying mark
c. : to place an obstruction across (as a passage)
intransitive verb
1. : to be in opposition : clash , quarrel
2. archaic : to go or extend in an oblique manner
Synonyms: see frustrate
IV. preposition
Etymology: Middle English, from thwert, thwart, adverb
archaic : across , athwart
V. noun
( -s )
Etymology: thwart (III)
1. : opposition , obstruction
2.
a. : a rower's seat extending athwart a boat or canoe
b. : one of the short crosspieces secured to one or two of the uprights erected alongside a ship in process of construction to support the stages