# Travis

/ˈtɹævɪs/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/travis
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. a person's name

noun · CEFR A1

a common first name for men or a family name.

For teachers: a male given name or surname, originally derived from an occupational name for a gatekeeper or someone who lived near a crossing.

- Travis is coming over for dinner with his family tonight.
- The author Travis Hirschi is well-known in the field of criminology for his social bond theory.

### 2. stable partition

noun · CEFR C2 · British English · Dialect

a wooden screen or wall that separates horses in a stable.

For teachers: a partition or screen used to separate stalls within a stable. The term is largely restricted to specific British dialects or historical agricultural contexts.

- The old barn still had a wooden travis between each horse stall.
- The restoration project aimed to preserve the original oak travises that divided the nineteenth-century stable block.

### 3. horse frame

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic

a wooden frame used to hold a horse still while a blacksmith works on its shoes.

For teachers: a wooden frame or brake used to confine a horse, particularly a restless one, while a smith is shoeing it.

- The blacksmith led the nervous horse into the travis to keep it safe.
- Historical records of the village smithy mention the construction of a new travis to handle the larger draught horses.

### 4. lying across

adjective · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Literary

placed or lying across something else.

For teachers: positioned or lying across; transverse in orientation.

- The travis beams supported the weight of the heavy stone floor.
- The architect noted the travis alignment of the joists, which differed from the standard longitudinal patterns of the era.

## Examples

- The light shone through the wooden travis of the old window.
- The architect pointed out the decorative travis that divided the upper panes of the cathedral windows.
- In the restoration of the medieval hall, craftsmen were careful to replicate the original travis to maintain the structural integrity of the timber partitions.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.