athwart
preposition·/əˈθwɔːrt/
Across; from side to side of; lying or cutting through at an angle. Athwart has a sense of crossing that interrupts: an obstacle, a bar, a line set against easy passage.
A fallen pine lay athwart the trail, forcing the hikers into the wet weeds at its edges.
adverb
Crosswise; in opposition; so as to thwart or impede.
Their plans ran smooth until one small fear came athwart them and everything began to snag.
Etymology
From Middle English forms meaning "across," built from a- "on, in" + thwart, from Old Norse þvert "across." The word still feels like its own meaning, a hard consonantal plank laid over the road.
Related Words
acrossmore neutral; lacking the obstructive undertone
transversetechnical cousin emphasizing orientation
askewoblique alignment, often visual rather than blocking
thwartthe verb that shares its spine