Veers

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To change direction quickly or abruptly, often moving off a straight path
2. To turn or shift course in an unexpected or sharp manner
3. To swerve or alter the direction of movement suddenly

Etymology: "Veers" is simply the third-person singular form of "veer," so the story belongs to the verb itself. The verb came into English from two sources that sound alike but mean different things. One is Middle Dutch "vieren," meaning "to slacken," a term from sailing: to let out a rope or cable gradually, so that a ship's course bends away from the wind. The other is Middle French "virer," meaning "to turn," which is the ancestor of the French verb still used for turning a vehicle. English sailors took the Dutch sense and gave the verb its nautical meaning of a ship changing course, and that sense carried over into the general idea of swerving or turning away from a path. The French source, which by itself would have meant something like turning round, seems to have reinforced the same notion of changing direction. Because the two strands merged, the word can describe either a gradual shift or a quick swerve, depending on the context.

Synonyms: turns, diverts, swerves, changes, leans

Antonyms: straightens, continues, follows