Definitions for: Transit


[n] a journey usually by ship; "the outward passage took 10 days"
[n] a surveying instrument for measuring horizontal and vertical angles, consisting of a small telescope mounted on a tripod
[n] facility consisting of the roads and equipment necessary for the movement of passengers or goods
[v] cause or enable to pass through; "The canal will transit hundreds of ships every day"
[v] revolve (the telescope of a surveying transit) about its horizontal transverse axis in order to reverse its direction
[v] astronomy: pass across (a sign or house of the zodiac) or pass across (the disk of a celestial body or the meridian of a place); "The comet will transit on September 11"
[v] make a transit



Webster (1913) Definition: Trans"it, n. [L. transitus, from transire to go over:
cf. F. transit. See Transient.]
1. The act of passing; passage through or over.

In France you are now . . . in the transit from one
form of government to another. --Burke.

2. The act or process of causing to pass; conveyance; as, the
transit of goods through a country.

3. A line or route of passage or conveyance; as, the
Nicaragua transit. --E. G. Squier.

4. (Astron.)
(a) The passage of a heavenly body over the meridian of a
place, or through the field of a telescope.
(b) The passage of a smaller body across the disk of a
larger, as of Venus across the sun's disk, or of a
satellite or its shadow across the disk of its
primary.

5. An instrument resembling a theodolite, used by surveyors
and engineers; -- called also transit compass, and
surveyor's transit.

Note: The surveyor's transit differs from the theodolite in
having the horizontal axis attached directly to the
telescope which is not mounted in Y's and can be turned
completely over about the axis.

Lower transit (Astron.), the passage of a heavenly body
across that part of the meridian which is below the polar
axis.

Surveyor's transit. See Transit, 5, above.

Transit circle (Astron.), a transit instrument with a
graduated circle attached, used for observing the time of
transit and the declination at one observation. See
Circle, n., 3.

Transit compass. See Transit, 5, above.

Transit duty, a duty paid on goods that pass through a
country.

Transit instrument. (Astron.)
(a) A telescope mounted at right angles to a horizontal
axis, on which it revolves with its line of
collimation in the plane of the meridian, -- used in
connection with a clock for observing the time of
transit of a heavenly body over the meridian of a
place.
(b) (Surv.) A surveyor's transit. See Transit, 5, above.


Transit trade (Com.), the business conected with the
passage of goods through a country to their destination.


Upper transit (Astron.), the passage of a heavenly body
across that part of the meridian which is above the polar
axis.


Trans"it, v. t. (Astron.)
To pass over the disk of (a heavenly body).

Synonyms: passage, theodolite, transportation, transportation system

See Also: airfield, alidad, alidade, base, bridge, bring, convey, cut, depot, facility, field, flying field, go across, go through, highway system, infrastructure, installation, journey, journeying, landing field, line, lockage, pass, public transit, public transport, revolve, roll, short line, span, surveying instrument, surveyor's instrument, tacheometer, tachymeter, take, telferage, telpherage, terminal, terminus, turn over, way

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