shear
Plural: shears
Noun
- (physics) a deformation of an object in which parallel planes remain parallel but are shifted in a direction parallel to themselves
- "the shear changed the quadrilateral into a parallelogram"
- a large edge tool that cuts sheet metal by passing a blade through it
- A cutting tool similar to scissors, but often larger.
- A large machine use for cutting sheet metal.
- The act of shearing, or something removed by shearing.
- Forces that push in opposite directions.
- The phenomenon of wind shear.
- A specific instance of wind shear.
- A transformation that displaces every point in a direction parallel to some given line by a distance proportional to the point's distance from the line.
- The response of a rock to deformation usually by compressive stress, resulting in particular textures.
Verb
Verb Forms: sheared, shore, shorn, shearing, shears
- To cut off wool or hair from an animal.
- cut with shears
- "shear hedges"
- shear the wool from
- "shear sheep"
- cut or cut through with shears
- "shear the wool off the lamb"
- become deformed by forces tending to produce a shearing strain
- To remove the fleece from (a sheep, llama, etc.) by clipping.
- To cut the hair of (a person).
- To cut, originally with a sword or other bladed weapon, now usually with shears, or as if using shears.
- To deform because of forces pushing in opposite directions.
- To change in direction or speed.
- To transform by displacing every point in a direction parallel to some given line by a distance proportional to the point’s distance from the line.
- To make a vertical cut in coal.
- (also 'shear off') To break or suddenly separate because of excessive force, eg. a bolt.
- To reap, as grain.
- To deprive of property; to fleece.
Adj
- Misspelling of sheer.
Examples
- He had to SHEAR a letter from his long word to make it fit, much to his chagrin.
- shear the afro off someone's head
- shear the llamas
- We hit a nasty shear on approach and had to go around.
Origin / Etymology
From Middle English sheren, scheren, from Old English sċieran (“to shear; to shave”), from Proto-West Germanic *skeran, from Proto-Germanic *skeraną, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut”).
Cognate with West Frisian skarre, Low German scheren, Dutch scheren, German scheren, Danish skære, Norwegian Bokmål skjære, Norwegian Nynorsk skjera, Swedish skära, Finnish keritä; and (from Indo-European) with Ancient Greek κείρω (keírō, “I cut off”), Latin caro (“flesh”), Albanian shqerr (“to tear, cut”), harr (“to cut, to mow”), Lithuanian ski̇̀rti (“separate”), Welsh ysgar (“separate”). See also sharp.
Scrabble Score: 8
shear: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordshear: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
shear: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary