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sheer

adj. · v. · n.
US //ˈʃɪɹ// UK //ʃˈiə// sheer
  1. 1 complete or extreme (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    used to emphasize how great, heavy, or extreme something is.

    used as an intensifier to emphasize the magnitude, weight, or degree of a quality.

    Example

    The sheer size of the mountain made us feel very small.

    Example

    The project succeeded through sheer persistence, as the team refused to give up despite numerous technical setbacks and funding cuts.
  2. 2 to swerve (v.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical

    to suddenly change direction, especially for a ship or vehicle.

    to deviate or swerve suddenly from a set course; frequently used in nautical contexts.

    Example

    The ship began to sheer away from the rocky coastline.

    Example

    The vessel sheered wildly to port as the steering gear failed, narrowly avoiding a collision with the approaching tanker.
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  1. 3 a curve or swerve (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Science

    a sudden change in direction or the curve of a ship's deck.

    the longitudinal upward curve of a ship's deck; also refers to a sudden change in a vessel's heading.

    Example

    The boat had a beautiful sheer that made it look very elegant on the water.

    Example

    The naval architect adjusted the sheer of the hull to improve the vessel's aesthetic profile and its ability to shed water in heavy seas.
Etymology 1

From Middle English shere, scheere, schere, skere, from Old English sċǣre (“pure, sheer; shining, clear”), from Proto-Germanic skairiz; supplanted the semantically close shire (dialectal), from Middle English schyre, schire, shire, shir, from Old English sċīr (“clear, bright; brilliant, gleaming, shining, splendid, resplendent; pure”), beside which existed Middle English skyr, from Old Norse skírr (“pure, bright, clear”), both from Proto-Germanic skīriz (“pure, sheer”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱeh₁y- (“luster, gloss, shadow”). Cognate with Danish skær, German schier (“sheer”), German Low German schier (“sheer, pure, unadulterated”; “completely, almost”), Dutch schier (“almost”), Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌴𐌹𐍂𐍃 (skeirs, “clear, lucid”). Outside Germanic, cognate to Albanian hir (“grace, beauty; goodwill”).

Etymology 2

Perhaps from Dutch scheren (“to move aside, skim”); see also shear.

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