SHUNT

I. verb Etymology: Middle English, to move suddenly, turn away, evade, perhaps from past participle of shonen Date: 13th century transitive verb 1. to turn off to one side ; shift , to switch (as a train) from one track to another, to provide with or divert by means of an electrical ~, to divert (blood) from one part to another by a surgical ~, shuttle , intransitive verb to move to the side, to travel back and forth , ~er noun II. noun Date: 1842 a means or mechanism for turning or thrusting aside: as, a railroad switch, a conductor joining two points in an electrical circuit so as to form a parallel or alternative path through which a portion of the current may pass (as for regulating the amount passing in the main circuit), a surgical passage created to divert a bodily fluid (as blood) from one vessel or part to another, an accident (as a collision between two cars) especially in auto racing