Yaw

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /jɔː/

Definitions

1. A rotational movement of a vehicle or aircraft around its vertical axis, causing the nose to swing left or right
2. A side-to-side rotation of an aircraft or vessel around its vertical axis occurs, resulting in lateral movement and directional change
3. The alteration of an object's orientation or path through turning about its vertical centerline is observed, affecting its heading

Etymology: In the mid-16th century, sailors used this verb for a ship swinging away from its intended heading, and the sense has stayed tied to the water ever since. Its exact origin is unclear. One suggestion is that it comes from "yar," an old English adjective meaning quick or agile, which described a vessel that answered its helm readily. On that reading, a ship that yaws is one that fails to hold steady on its course. The word may instead have come from a different source altogether, but the evidence for that is less clear. When aircraft appeared, pilots and engineers took the same term for a plane's rotation about its vertical axis, the turning of the nose left or right.

Synonyms: veer, swerve, tilt, rotate, oscillate

Antonyms: straighten, remain, stay, stay on course, follow