Sheer \Sheer\, adv.
   Clean; quite; at once. [Obs.] --Milton.
   
[1913 Webster]

Sheer \Sheer\, v. t. [See {Shear}.]
   To shear. [Obs.] --Dryden.
   
[1913 Webster]

Sheer \Sheer\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Sheered}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Sheering}.] [D. sheren to shear, cut, withdraw, warp. See
   {Shear}.]
   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.
   
[1913 Webster]


   {To sheer off}, to turn or move aside to a distance; to move
      away.

   {To sheer up}, to approach obliquely.
      
[1913 Webster]

Sheer \Sheer\, a. [OE. shere, skere, pure, bright, Icel. sk?rr;
   akin to sk[imac]rr, AS. sc[imac]r, OS. sk[imac]ri, MHG.
   sch[imac]r, G. schier, Dan. sk?r, Sw. sk[aum]r, Goth. skeirs
   clear, and E. shine. [root]157. See {Shine}, v. i.]
   1. Bright; clear; pure; unmixed. "Sheer ale." --Shak.
      
[1913 Webster]


            Thou sheer, immaculate, and silver fountain. --Shak.
      
[1913 Webster]


   2. Very thin or transparent; -- applied to fabrics; as, sheer
      muslin.
      
[1913 Webster]


   3. Being only what it seems to be; obvious; simple; mere;
      downright; as, sheer folly; sheer nonsense. "A sheer
      impossibility." --De Quincey.
      
[1913 Webster]


            It is not a sheer advantage to have several strings
            to one's bow.                         --M. Arnold.
      
[1913 Webster]


   4. Stright up and down; vertical; prpendicular.
      
[1913 Webster]


            A sheer precipice of a thousand feet. --J. D.
                                                  Hooker.
      
[1913 Webster]


            It was at least
            Nine roods of sheer ascent.           --Wordsworth.
      
[1913 Webster]

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.
          
[1913 Webster]


   2. A turn or change in a course.
      
[1913 Webster]


            Give the canoe a sheer and get nearer to the shore.
                                                  --Cooper.
      
[1913 Webster]


   3. pl. Shears See {Shear}.
      
[1913 Webster]


   {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.
      
[1913 Webster]