sheer
| Jump To: |
|
sheer (s̸hir)
intransitive verb
Etymology: var. of shear, prob. infl. by Du or LowG scheren, to cut, deviate, warp away
transitive verb
noun
- a sudden change of course; abrupt turn; swerve
- the oblique heading or position of a ship riding at a single bow anchor
- the upward curve of a ship's deck toward the bow and stern, as seen from the side
sheer (s̸hir)
adjective
- very thin; transparent; diaphanous: said of textiles
- not mixed or mingled with anything else; pure sheer ice
- absolute; downright; unqualified; utter sheer persistence
- perpendicular or extremely steep, as the face of a cliff
Etymology: ME schere, prob. var. of scere, free, exempt < ON skærr, bright, clear, akin to Ger schier: for IE base see shine
adverb
- completely; utterly; outright
- perpendicularly or very steeply
noun
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
sheer
modif.
Abrupt
steep, very steep, precipitous; see abrupt 1.Thin
transparent, diaphanous, delicate, fine, smooth, pure, lucid, translucent, gauzy, pellucid, limpid, soft, fragile, flimsy, slight, clear, lacy. Absolute
utter, altogether, quite; see absolute 1. See syn. study at abrupt.
Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Modifying Another Word
- almost: Close behind it the formidable rocky face of Liathach rises almost sheer to its summit ridge.
Modifies a noun
- brilliance: A single episode, 45 minutes of sheer brilliance.
Used with adjective complement
- rise: Close behind it the formidable rocky face of Liathach rises almost sheer to its summit ridge.
The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.
Link to this page:
Cite this page:
MLA Style
"sheer." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009
- Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
- <www.yourdictionary.com/sheer>
APA Style
sheer. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary
- Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/sheer

Comments:
Please Login or Register to post a comment