~ 1
■ adjective
1》 nothing other than; unmitigated: ~ hard work.
2》 (of a cliff, wall, etc.) perpendicular or nearly so.
3》 (of a fabric) very thin.
■ adverb
1》 perpendicularly.
2》 archaic completely; right.
Derivatives
~ly adverb
~ness noun
Origin
ME: prob. an alt. of dialect shire 'pure, clear', from the Gmc base of shine .
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~ 2
■ verb
1》 (especially of a boat) swerve or change course quickly.
2》 avoid or move away from an unpleasant topic.
■ noun a sudden deviation from a course.
Origin
C17: perh. from Mid. Low Ger. scheren 'to shear'.
Usage
Confusion can arise between the verbs ~ and shear . Sheer means ‘swerve or change course quickly’ ( the boat ~s off the bank ), whereas shear usually means ‘cut the wool off a sheep’ or ‘break off’ ( the wing had been sheared off ).
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~ 3
■ noun the upward slope of a ship's lines towards the bow and stern.
Origin
C17: prob. from shear .