Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker-der.
Proto-Germanic *skeraną
Proto-West Germanic *skeran
Old English sċieran
Middle English scheren
English shear
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, Dutch, and German scheren, Danish skære, Norwegian Bokmål skjære, Norwegian Nynorsk skjera, Swedish skära, Faroese and Icelandic skera, (borrowed from Germanic) Finnish keritä; and (from Indo-European) with Kamkata-viri ċarë́- (“to chop”), Ancient Greek κείρω (keírō, “to cut off”), Latin caro (“flesh”), Albanian shqerr (“to tear, cut”), harr (“to cut, to mow”), Lithuanian ski̇̀rti (“separate”), Welsh ysgar (“separate”). See also sharp.
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker-der.
Proto-Germanic *skeraną
Proto-West Germanic *skeran
Old English sċieran
Middle English scheren
English shear
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, Dutch, and German scheren, Danish skære, Norwegian Bokmål skjære, Norwegian Nynorsk skjera, Swedish skära, Faroese and Icelandic skera, (borrowed from Germanic) Finnish keritä; and (from Indo-European) with Kamkata-viri ċarë́- (“to chop”), Ancient Greek κείρω (keírō, “to cut off”), Latin caro (“flesh”), Albanian shqerr (“to tear, cut”), harr (“to cut, to mow”), Lithuanian ski̇̀rti (“separate”), Welsh ysgar (“separate”). See also sharp.
Meanings
(countable, uncountable) A cutting tool similar to scissors, but often larger.
short of their wool, and naked from the shear 1697, Virgil, “The Third Book of the Georgics”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
(countable, uncountable) A large machine use for cutting sheet metal.
(countable, uncountable) The act of shearing, or something removed by shearing.
After the second shearing, he is a two-shear ram; […] at the expiration of another year, he is a three-shear ram; the name always taking its date from the time of shearing. 1837, William Youatt, Sheep: Their Breeds, Management, and Diseases:
(countable, uncountable) Forces that push in opposite directions.
(uncountable) The phenomenon of wind shear.
The first effect of a wind shear was detected at 34 to 42 seconds into the takeoff, at a speed of about 115 KIAS with the airplane about 3,800 feet down the runway. An average shear rate of about 2.5 knots per second resulted in an interruption in acceleration at this point with the airspeed remaining at 115 to 120 KIAS for 7 to 10 seconds. 1985 March 21, National Transportation Safety Board, “2.3 Airplane Takeoff Performance”, in Aircraft Accident Report: United Airlines Flight 663, Boeing 727-222, N7647U, Denver, Colorado, May 31, 1984, page 41:
(countable) A specific instance of wind shear.
We hit a nasty shear on approach and had to go around.
(countable, uncountable) 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.
(countable, uncountable) The response of a rock to deformation usually by compressive stress, resulting in particular textures.
mi kutikuti (a cutting tool similar to scissors) · fi leikkuu (the act of shearing, or something removed by shearing) · bg стригане (the act of shearing, or something removed by shearing) · no bøylesaks (a cutting tool similar to scissors) · bg ножица за стригане (a cutting tool similar to scissors) · fr cisaille (a cutting tool similar to scissors) · he גֵּז (the act of shearing, or something removed by shearing) · lv bīde (a force that produces a shearing strain) · nl afschuifkracht (a force that produces a shearing strain) · fi leike (the act of shearing, or something removed by shearing) · fi leikkaus (the act of shearing, or something removed by shearing) · sv skjuvning (a force that produces a shearing strain) · es cizalladura (a force that produces a shearing strain) · es cizalla (a cutting tool similar to scissors) · gl cisalla (a cutting tool similar to scissors) · ru стрижка (the act of shearing, or something removed by shearing) · fr tondeuse (a cutting tool similar to scissors) · no klipp (the act of shearing, or something removed by shearing) · pt poda (the act of shearing, or something removed by shearing) · fr cisailles (a cutting tool similar to scissors) · ru ножницы (a cutting tool similar to scissors) · fi vinoutus (a shear transformation) · fr tondaison (the act of shearing, or something removed by shearing) · de Scherkraft (a force that produces a shearing strain) · bg сила на срязване (a force that produces a shearing strain) · pt tosquiadeira (a cutting tool similar to scissors) · pl ścinanie (the act of shearing, or something removed by shearing) · fi keritsimet (a cutting tool similar to scissors) · no klipp (a force that produces a shearing strain) · fr cisaillement (a force that produces a shearing strain) · fr tonte (the act of shearing, or something removed by shearing) · gl rapa (the act of shearing, or something removed by shearing) · es cizallado (the act of shearing, or something removed by shearing) · lv dzirkles (a cutting tool similar to scissors) · it cesoia (a cutting tool similar to scissors) · fi leikkausvoima (a force that produces a shearing strain)
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker-der.
Proto-Germanic *skeraną
Proto-West Germanic *skeran
Old English sċieran
Middle English scheren
English shear
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, Dutch, and German scheren, Danish skære, Norwegian Bokmål skjære, Norwegian Nynorsk skjera, Swedish skära, Faroese and Icelandic skera, (borrowed from Germanic) Finnish keritä; and (from Indo-European) with Kamkata-viri ċarë́- (“to chop”), Ancient Greek κείρω (keírō, “to cut off”), Latin caro (“flesh”), Albanian shqerr (“to tear, cut”), harr (“to cut, to mow”), Lithuanian ski̇̀rti (“separate”), Welsh ysgar (“separate”). See also sharp.
Meanings
(intransitive, transitive) To remove the fleece from (a sheep, llama, etc.) by clipping.
shear the llamas
To cut the hair of (a person).
shear the afro off someone's head
To cut, originally with a sword or other bladed weapon, now usually with shears, or as if using shears.
the golden tresses […] were shorn away 1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 68”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC:
So trenchant was the Templar’s weapon, that it shore asunder, as it had been a willow twig, the tough and plaited handle of the mace, which the ill-fated Saxon reared to parry the blow, and, descending on his head, levelled him with the earth. 1819, Walter Scott, Ivanhoe:
To deform because of forces pushing in opposite directions.
(intransitive, of wind) To change in direction or speed.
The total along-the-runway wind component sheared from an 8-knot headwind to about a 56-knot tailwind over a 44-second period. 1985 March 21, National Transportation Safety Board, “2.3 Airplane Takeoff Performance”, in Aircraft Accident Report: United Airlines Flight 663, Boeing 727-222, N7647U, Denver, Colorado, May 31, 1984, page 41:
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.
(intransitive) To make a vertical cut in coal.
(also 'shear off') To break or suddenly separate because of excessive force, eg. a bolt.
(Scotland) To reap, as grain.
Soon as the bending Scythe,
And Sickle keen, have shear'd the golden Grain,
Array'd in all the Equipage of Death,
Forth the stern Sportsman stalks 1769, John Aldington, A Poem on the Cruelty of Shooting etc.:
hu vág (to cut) · cmn 剪斷 /剪断 (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · slr zenle (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · fi viiltää (to cut) · ga lom (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · de abschneiden (to cut the hair of a person) · fa کوتاه کردن (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · ka გაკრეჭვა (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · la tondeō (to cut) · ka ჭრა (to cut) · vec tondar (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · mk стриже (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · sh исећи (to cut) · sh iseći (to cut) · pt tosquiar (to cut) · af skeer (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · ga bearr (to cut the hair of a person) · hu levág (to cut) · cs ustřihnout (to cut) · is klippa (to cut the hair of a person) · sq qeth (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · fr tondre (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · no klippe (to cut) · it tagliare (to cut) · uk стри́гти (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · ka გაჭრა (to cut) · es cortar (to cut) · sq pres (to cut) · gl tosquiar (to cut) · es tundir (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · no klippe (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · oc tónder (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · ca esquilar (to cut) · sv skjuva (to deform in a fixed direction due to mechanical forces) · de abschneiden (to cut) · es cizallar (to cut) · io cizagar (to cut) · grc κείρω (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · nl knippen (to cut) · gl rapar (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · gl cisallar (to deform in a fixed direction due to mechanical forces) · vi cắt (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · fi leikkautua (to deform in a fixed direction due to mechanical forces) · tr yülümek (to cut the hair of a person) · pt tosquiar (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · ru подстрига́ть (to cut) · ka კრეჭა (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · sh strići (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · scn tùnniri (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · cy cneifio (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · mi kutikuti (to cut) · sl striči (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · hy խուզել (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · ca tondre (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · ro tunde (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · cs stříhat, ostříhat (to cut the hair of a person) · txb wārk- (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · id memotong (to cut) · nl scheren (to cut the hair of a person) · tr saçını kesmek (to cut the hair of a person) · ru стричь (to cut) · ca tondosar (to cut) · vec toxar (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · sh стрићи (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · de rasieren (to cut the hair of a person) · bg срязвам (to cut) · izh keritä (to cut the hair of a person) · izh keritä (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · gl tosquiar (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · de scheren (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · it tosare (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · hu lenyír (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · sk strihať (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · bg режа (to cut) · pt cortar (to cut) · nl afschuiven (to deform in a fixed direction due to mechanical forces) · ka კრეჭვა (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · ota قرقمق (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · fr cisailler (to deform in a fixed direction due to mechanical forces) · cs stříhat (to cut) · de schneiden (to cut) · da skære (to cut) · es esquilar (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · sh извити (to deform in a fixed direction due to mechanical forces) · nl knippen (to cut the hair of a person) · ja 剪断する (to deform in a fixed direction due to mechanical forces) · ro tunde (to cut) · sh strigati (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · yi שערן (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · is rýja (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · sh стригати (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · gl esquiloar (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · lv cirpt (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · pl ścinać (to cut) · pt cisalhar (to deform in a fixed direction due to mechanical forces) · ru стричь (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · yi שערן (to cut) · gl chamorrar (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · ar جَزَّ (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · gl arrocar (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · hu nyír (to cut) · rup tundu (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · pt tosar (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · mi kutikuti (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · tr tıraş etmek (to cut the hair of a person) · pl strzyc (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · be стры́гчы (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · sh izviti (to deform in a fixed direction due to mechanical forces) · la tondeō (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · fi keritä (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · vec tondir (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · fi vinouttaa (to apply a shear transformation) · fr couper (to cut) · es tonsurar (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · cmn 切 (to cut) · ja 切る (to cut) · nl afsnijden (to cut) · ru подстрига́ть (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · xto wärk- (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · pl ciąć (to cut) · is skera (to cut) · da klippe (to cut) · es cizallar (to deform in a fixed direction due to mechanical forces) · ota قرقمق (to cut) · ko 자르다 (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · ko 썰다 (to cut) · ja 刈る (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · fur tosâ (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · ru ре́зать (to cut) · pl ścinać (to deform in a fixed direction due to mechanical forces) · nl scheren (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · sq qeth (to cut the hair of a person) · alt кыркы- (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · cs ostříhat (to cut) · fi leikata (to deform in a fixed direction due to mechanical forces) · el κουρεύω (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · ar قَصَّ (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · is raka (to cut the hair of a person) · hu megnyír (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · cs stříhat (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · slr yiligüsi (to cut the hair of a person) · oc tondre (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · tr kırkmak (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · no klippe (to deform in a fixed direction due to mechanical forces) · bg стри́жа (to remove the fleece from a sheep) · es distorsionar (to deform in a fixed direction due to mechanical forces) · qu rutuy (to cut) · is klippa (to cut)