01 n. The act of passing; passage through or over.
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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.
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2.
The act or process of causing to pass; conveyance; as, the transit of goods through a country.
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3.
A line or route of passage or conveyance; as, the Nicaragua transit.
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4.
The passage of a heavenly body over the meridian of a place, or through the field of a telescope.(Astron.)
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5.
An instrument resembling a theodolite, used by surveyors and engineers; -- called also transit compass, and surveyor's transit. Also: transit compass, surveyor's transit
Phrases & compounds
Lower transit —
the passage of a heavenly body across that part of the meridian which is below the polar axis.
Transit circle —
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 —
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.
Transit trade —
the business conected with the passage of goods through a country to their destination.
Upper transit —
the passage of a heavenly body across that part of the meridian which is above the polar axis.