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sheer¹

(shîr)

intr. & tr.v. sheered, sheer·ing, sheers

To swerve or cause to swerve from a course.

1. A swerving or deviating course.

a. The upward curve or amount of upward curve of the longitudinal lines of a ship's hull as viewed from the side.

b. The position in which a ship at anchor is maintained in order to keep it clear of the anchor.

[Probably partly from Low German scheren, to move to and fro (said of boats), and partly from Dutch scheren, to withdraw; see sker-¹ in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

sheer²

(shîr)

adj. sheer·er, sheer·est

1. Thin, fine, and translucent: sheer curtains; sheer chiffon. See Synonyms at airy.

a. Completely such, without qualification or exception: sheer stupidity; sheer happiness.

b. Free from admixture or adulterants; unmixed: sheer alcohol.

c. Considered or operating apart from anything else: got the job through sheer persistence.

3. Almost perpendicular; steep: sheer rock cliffs. See Synonyms at steep¹.

adv.

1. Almost perpendicularly.

2. Completely; altogether.

One that is sheer, such as a curtain.

[Obsolete shere, thin, clear, partly from Middle English shir, bright, clear (from Old English scīr) and partly from Middle English skir, bright, clean (from Old Norse skærr).]

sheerly adv.

sheerness n.

shear

(shîr)

v. sheared, sheared or shorn (shôrn), shear·ing, shears

v.tr.

1. To remove (fleece or hair) by cutting or clipping.

2. To remove the hair or fleece from.

3. To cut with or as if with shears: shearing a hedge.

4. To divest or deprive as if by cutting: The prisoners were shorn of their dignity.

v.intr.

1. To use a cutting tool such as shears.

2. To move or proceed by or as if by cutting: shear through the wheat.

3. Physics To become deformed by shear force.

1. often shears

a. A pair of scissors.

b. Any of various implements or machines that cut with a scissorlike action.

2. The act, process, or result of shearing, especially when used to indicate a sheep's age: a two-shear ram.

3. Something cut off by shearing.

4. also sheers (shîrz) (used with a sing. or pl. verb) An apparatus used to lift heavy weights, consisting of two or more spars joined at the top and spread at the base, the tackle being suspended from the top.

5. Physics

a. See shear force.

b. See shear strain.

c. See shear stress.

[Middle English scheren, from Old English sceran; see sker-¹ in the Appendix of Indo-European roots. N., from Middle English shere, from Old English scēar; see sker-¹ in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

shearer n.

sheers

(shîrz)

n. (used with a sing. or pl. verb)

Variant of shear.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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