The act of passing; passage through or over. [1913 Webster]
"In France you are now . . . in the transit from one form of government to another." [1913 Webster]
The act or process of causing to pass; conveyance; as, the transit of goods through a country. [1913 Webster]
A line or route of passage or conveyance; as, the Nicaragua transit. E. G. Squier. [1913 Webster]
The passage of a heavenly body over the meridian of a place, or through the field of a telescope. [1913 Webster]
An instrument resembling a theodolite, used by surveyors and engineers; -- called also transit compass, and surveyor's transit. [1913 Webster]
" 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." [1913 Webster]

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.

transit, v. t.

To pass over the disk of (a heavenly body). [1913 Webster]

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OXFORD DICTIONARY

transit, n. & v.
--n.
1 the act or process of going, conveying, or being conveyed, esp. over a distance (transit by rail; made a transit of the lake).
2 a passage or route (the overland transit).
3 a the apparent passage of a celestial body across the meridian of a place. b such an apparent passage across the sun or a planet.
4 US the local conveyance of passengers on public routes.
--v. (transited, transiting)
1 tr. make a transit across.
2 intr. make a transit.

Idiom

in transit while going or being conveyed. transit camp a camp for the temporary accommodation of soldiers, refugees, etc. transit-circle (or -instrument) an instrument for observing the transit of a celestial body across the meridian. transit-compass (or -theodolite) a surveyor's instrument for measuring a horizontal angle. transit-duty duty paid on goods passing through a country. transit lounge a lounge at an airport for passengers waiting between flights. transit visa a visa allowing only passage through a country.

Etymology

ME f. L transitus f. transire (as TRANSIENT)

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THESAURUS

transit

about-face, alchemy, alteration, assimilation, assumption, astrolabe, azimuth circle, azimuth compass, becoming, bevel, bevel protractor, bevel square, carriage, carrying, cartage, change, change-over, clinometer, communication, commutation, conduction, contagion, convection, conversion, conveyance, course, cover, cross, crossing, delivery, deportation, diapedesis, diffusion, dissemination, do, export, exportation, expulsion, extradition, flip-flop, globe-trotting, go over, going, goniometer, graphometer, growth, haulage, import, importation, interchange, journeying, lapse, locomotion, measure, metastasis, metathesis, metempsychosis, migration, motion, movement, moving, mutual transfer, naturalization, osmosis, overpass, pantometer, pass over, pass through, passage, passing, passing over, patrol, perambulate, peregrinate, pererrate, perfusion, ply, progress, progression, protractor, quadrant, radiogoniometer, range, range over, re-formation, reconnoiter, reconversion, reduction, resolution, reversal, scour, scour the country, scout, sextant, shift, spread, spreading, sweep, switch, switch-over, theodolite, tourism, touristry, track, traject, trajet, transduction, transfer, transfer of property, transference, transferral, transformation, transfusion, transit circle, transit instrument, transit theodolite, transition, translation, translocation, transmigration, transmigration of souls, transmission, transmittal, transmittance, transplacement, transplantation, transport, transportation, transporting, transposal, transposition, travel, travel over, travel through, traveling, traversal, traverse, traversing, turning into, volte-face, voyage

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ROGET THESAURUS

transit

Conversion

N conversion, reduction, transmutation, resolution, assimilation, evolution, sea change, change of state, assumption, naturalization, transportation, development, developing, conversion of currency, exchange of currency, exchange rate, bureau de change, chemistry, alchemy, progress, growth, lapse, flux, passage, transit, transition, transmigration, shifting, phase, conjugation, convertibility, crucible, alembic, caldron, retort, convert, pervert, renegade, apostate, converted into, convertible, resolvable into, transitional, naturalized, gradually, &c (slowly) 275 in transitu.

Motion

N motion, movement, move, going, unrest, stream, flow, flux, run, course, stir, evolution, kinematics, telekinesis, step, rate, pace, tread, stride, gait, port, footfall, cadence, carriage, velocity, angular velocity, clip, progress, locomotion, journey, voyage, transit, restlessness, mobility, movableness, motive power, laws of motion, mobilization, moving, in motion, transitional, motory, motive, shifting, movable, mobile, mercurial, unquiet, restless, nomadic, erratic, under way, on the move, on the wing, on the tramp, on the march, eppur si muove, es bildet ein Talent sich in der Stille, sich ein Charakter in dem Strom der Welt.

Transference

N transfer, transference, translocation, elocation, displacement, metastasis, metathesis, removal, remotion, amotion, relegation, deportation, asportation, extradition, conveyance, draft, carrying, carriage, convection, conduction, contagion, transfer, transit, transition, passage, ferry, gestation, portage, porterage, carting, cartage, shoveling, vection, vecture, vectitation, shipment, freight, wafture, transmission, transport, transportation, importation, exportation, transumption, transplantation, translation, shifting, dodging, dispersion, transposition, traction, drift, transferred, drifted, movable, portable, portative, mailable, contagious, from hand to hand, from pillar to post, on the way, by the way, on the road, on the wing, under way, in transit, on course, as one goes, in transitu, en route, chemin faisant, en passant, in mid progress, in mid course.

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