"Transverse" motion is a term that has been around WAY longer than sewing machines. The first machines made had shuttles that moved in a transverse motion and therefore were "always" referred to as Transverse machines. I have hard copies of manuals dating back to the 1870's and digital copies of some from the 1860's. they all refer to the motion as transverse.
To complete the loop, the reason the first machines were "transverse" is because the the technology that was already in existence was the loom, which use the same motion. That is also why they are called shuttles, just like the ones used for weaving fabric. It was the creation of the eye pointed needle that was the key to the whole process. (they tried the hole in EVERY conceivable location, including the middle of the needle... )
Last edited by SteveH; 07-07-2015 at 08:58 AM.