transverse
adj.adj. placed or moving across something from one side to the other. You use this to describe something that is at a right angle to the main part.
adj. situated or extending across something; lying in a crosswise direction. Often describes anatomical structures or mechanical parts that intersect the longitudinal axis at a right angle.
The doctor examined the transverse muscle in my leg.
The architect included several transverse beams to provide extra support across the width of the ceiling.
In a transverse wave, the particles of the medium vibrate at right angles to the direction in which the wave itself travels, a concept fundamental to understanding light and radio signals.
Late Middle English, from Latin trānsversus (“turned across; going or lying across or crosswise”). Doublet of transversal.
Typically used in technical, medical, or scientific contexts to describe orientation relative to a primary axis.