noun

le travers

through · quirk · flaw · fault

C’est une manière de passer d’un côté à l’autre, souvent en coupant une ligne ou une surface.

Definition & meaning

Travers is a masculine French noun, most often used in fixed expressions. Its meaning depends on context:

A personal flaw, foible, or odd habit
It often refers to a recurring weakness or eccentricity.
Example: Les travers d’une personne means “a person’s foibles” or “their character flaws.”
A slant or crooked direction
In de travers [?](vocabuo://word/de travers), it means “crookedly,” “askew,” or “at an angle.” It can also describe looking at someone “askance.”
Across or crosswise
In en travers [?](vocabuo://word/en travers), it means “crosswise” or “across.” The noun can also refer to a transverse width or crosswise part.
A cut of pork
In travers de porc [?](vocabuo://word/travers de porc), it refers to pork ribs or a rib section.

The related expression à travers [?](vocabuo://word/à travers) means “through” or “across,” as in moving through a place or a period of time.

Grammar & Word origin

Travers is a masculine noun: un travers. Its plural has the same spelling: des travers. In expressions such as à travers and de travers, it forms part of a fixed phrase.

The word comes from Old French and ultimately from Latin transversus, meaning “turned across” or “crosswise.” It is related to the French verb traverser , “to cross” or “to go through.”

Synonyms & antonyms

For the sense “personal flaw,” possible synonyms include défaut , a general fault or defect; faiblesse [?](vocabuo://word/faiblesse], a weakness; and manie , a habitual quirk. These words are not exact equivalents: travers often suggests a characteristic, recurring foible.

Possible opposites in this sense are qualité (“good quality”) and vertu (“virtue”), though neither is a direct antonym in every context.

For the sense “crooked” or “askew,” de biais [?](vocabuo://word/de biais) is a close alternative. Its opposite may be droit [?](vocabuo://word/droit], meaning “straight” or “upright.”

Common phrases & collocations

avoir un travers [?](vocabuo://word/avoir un travers) — to have a foible or character flaw
les travers de quelqu’un [?](vocabuo://word/les travers de quelqu’un) — someone’s foibles or faults
mettre quelque chose en travers [?](vocabuo://word/mettre quelque chose en travers) — to place something across or crosswise
regarder de travers [?](vocabuo://word/regarder de travers) — to look at someone askance
à travers les années [?](vocabuo://word/à travers les années) — through the years