SHEER

I. verb Etymology: perhaps alteration of 1shear Date: 1539 intransitive verb to deviate from a course ; swerve , transitive verb to cause to ~, II. noun Date: 1670 a turn, deviation, or change in a course (as of a ship), the position of a ship riding to a single anchor and heading toward it, III. adjective Etymology: Middle English schere freed from guilt, probably alteration of skere, from Old Norse skærr pure; akin to Old English scīnan to shine Date: circa 1568 bright , shining , of very thin or transparent texture ; diaphanous , 3. unqualified , utter , being free from an adulterant ; pure , unmixed, viewed or acting in dissociation from all else , marked by great and continuous steepness, see: steep ~ly adverb ~ness noun IV. adverb Date: 1599 in a complete manner ; altogether , straight up or down without a break ; perpendicularly, V. noun Date: circa 1920 a ~ fabric, VI. noun Etymology: perhaps alteration of 2shear Date: 1691 the fore-and-aft curvature from bow to stern of a ship's deck as shown in side elevation