athwart
3 synonyms for athwart, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Adv — Lying or moving in a slanting line, from one side to the other.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. adv
Lying or moving in a slanting line, from one side to the other.
“We placed one log on the ground, and another athwart, forming a crude cross.”
Etymology
From Late Middle English athwert, athirt, from a- (prefix meaning ‘in the direction of, toward’) + thwert (“crosswise; (cooking) across the grain”, adverb). Thwert is derived from thwert (“crosswise, transverse; counter, opposing; contrary, obstinate, stubborn”, adjective), borrowed from Old Norse þvert (“across, athwa...
Full origin of athwart →