I. ˈtran(t)sə̇t, ˈtraan-, -nzə̇t, usu -ə̇d.+V noun
( -s )
Etymology: Latin transitus, from transitus, past participle of transire to go across, pass — more at transient
1.
a. : an act, process, or instance of passing or journeying across, through, or over : journey , passage
the transit of so vast a body through Roman territory could not but be dangerous — J.A.Froude
the transit of radio signals from the earth to the moon and back — J.W.Townsend
a fine case study of the transit of ideas from Europe to America — R.E.Riegel
our transit across the little span of life — W.L.Sullivan
b. : passage across : change , transition
to bolster morale … in the transit from war to peace — Dixon Wecter
the transit from fall to winter, from this life to the next
c.
(1) : the conveyance or carriage of persons or things from one place to another
pigeons were used to provide the fastest transit for written messages — W.G.East
there were also commissions … on communications and transit — C.E.Black & E.C.Helmreich
uses all modes of transit to ship his products
(2) : the transportation especially of people by means of bus, subway train, or other usually local system of public conveyance
the problems of urban transit are complex
— compare rapid transit ; also : the system, vehicles, or facilities engaged in such transportation
within easy reach are … schools, shopping centers, and transit — advt
85 out of 100 shoppers … arrived there by transit , as against nine out of 100 by auto — Sam Stavisky
2. : the passing of a planet across or through any special point or place on the zodiac
3.
a. : the passage of a celestial body over the meridian of a place or through the field of a telescope — called also culmination
b. : the passage of a smaller body across the disk of a larger (as of Venus or Mercury across the sun's disk)
4. or transit compass : a variety of theodolite with the telescope mounted so that it can be transited — called also transit theodolite
•
- in transit
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
intransitive verb
1. : to go over or through : pass
ships use the canal to transit to the west
to steer to a destination through which the line transited — David Beaty
2. : to make a transit across a meridian, a celestial body, or the field of view of a telescope
expects the planet to transit shortly after midnight
transitive verb
1.
a. : to pass over or through : cross , traverse
transited La Perouse strait on the surface at night — E.L.Beach
from San Juan to Guantánamo Bay you transit the windward passage — Lee Rogow
b. : to cause to pass over or through : convey
the canal … can be operated around the clock to transit a total of 36 ships daily — Ships and the Sea
2. : to pass across (a meridian, a celestial body, or the field of view of a telescope)
3. : to turn (a telescope) over about its horizontal transverse axis in surveying