v. & n.
--v.
1. intr. & tr. diverge or cause (a train) to be diverted esp. on to a siding.
2 tr. Electr. provide (a current) with a shunt.
3 tr. a postpone or evade. b divert (a decision etc.) on to another person etc.
--n.
1. the act or an instance of shunting on to a siding.
2 Electr. a conductor joining two points of a circuit, through which more or less of a current may be diverted.
3 Surgery an alternative path for the circulation of the blood.
4 sl. a motor accident, esp. a collision of vehicles travelling one close behind another.
Derivatives:
shunter n.
Etymology: ME, perh. f. SHUN