SHEER
Sheer, v. t. Etym: [See Shear.]
Defn: To shear. [Obs.] Dryden.
SHEER
Sheer, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Sheered; p. pr. & vb. n. Sheering.] Etym:
[D. sheren to shear, cut, withdraw, warp. See Shear.]
Defn: To decline or deviate from the line of the proper course; to turn aside; to swerve; as, a ship sheers from her course; a horse sheers at a bicycle. To sheer off, to turn or move aside to a distance; to move away. — To sheer up, to approach obliquely.
SHEER
Sheer, n.
1. (Naut.) (a) The longitudinal upward curvature of the deck, gunwale, and lines of a vessel, as when viewed from the side. (b) The position of a vessel riding at single anchor and swinging clear of it.
2. A turn or change in a course. Give the canoe a sheer and get nearer to the shore. Cooper.
3. pl.
Defn: Shears See Shear. Sheer batten (Shipbuilding), a long strip of wood to guide the carpenters in following the sheer plan. — Sheer boom, a boom slanting across a stream to direct floating logs to one side. — Sheer hulk. See Shear hulk, under Hulk. — Sheer plan, or Sheer draught (Shipbuilding), a projection of the lines of a vessel on a vertical longitudinal plane passing through the middle line of the vessel. — Sheer pole (Naut.), an iron rod lashed to the shrouds just above the dead-eyes and parallel to the ratlines. — Sheer strake (Shipbuilding), the strake under the gunwale on the top side. Totten. — To break sheer (Naut.), to deviate from sheer, and risk fouling the anchor.
SHEERLY
Sheer"ly, adv.