acrosswise

English

Etymology

across +‎ -wise

Adverb

acrosswise (not comparable)

1. In a way that goes across; crosswise.
   • 1876, Bi-centennial Celebration at Sudbury, Mass., April 18, 1876, page 8:

     The bottom part of every yoke is to be as long as the swine (standing upon his fore feet) is high from the ground to the top of his shoulder; and sticks that are placed up and down through the yoke are to be six inches higher than the neck and three inches lower than the bottom of the yoke that is usually placed acrosswise under his throat (for all swine of a year old and upward, and so proportionably for all swine that are younger) ; only the fine on abovesaid penalty [6d.] shall not be required or paid above once in one day.

   • 1898, Thomas Hardy, A Sound in the Night:

     It may be a tree, bride, that rubs his arms acrosswise […]

   • 1969, Paul Carus, History of the Devil and the Idea of Evil from the Earliest Times to the Present Day:

     At the altar she was kneeling With her arms acrosswise folded.

   • 2011, Maree Anderson, Ruby's Dream:

     First, that certain materials claiming to be “stretchy”, weren't designed to stretch to their ultimate limit both lengthwise and acrosswise.