sheer1

[sheer] /ʃɪər/
adjective, sheerer, sheerest.
1.
transparently thin; diaphanous, as some fabrics:
sheer stockings.
2.
unmixed with anything else:
We drilled a hundred feet through sheer rock.
3.
unqualified; utter:
sheer nonsense.
4.
extending down or up very steeply; almost completely vertical:
a sheer descent of rock.
5.
British Obsolete. bright; shining.
adverb
6.
clear; completely; quite:
ran sheer into the thick of battle.
7.
perpendicularly; vertically; down or up very steeply.
noun
8.
a thin, diaphanous material, as chiffon or voile.
Origin
1175-1225; Middle English scere, shere, schere free, clear, bright, thin; probably < Old Norse skǣrr; change of sk- > s(c)h- perhaps by influence of the related Old English scīr (E dial. shire clear, pure, thin); cognate with German schier, Old Norse skīr, Gothic skeirs clear; see shine
Related forms
sheerly, adverb
sheerness, noun
Synonyms
2. mere, simple, pure, unadulterated. 3. absolute, downright. 4. abrupt, precipitous. 6. totally, entirely.
Antonyms
1. opaque.

sheer2

[sheer] /ʃɪər/
verb (used without object)
1.
to deviate from a course, as a ship; swerve.
verb (used with object)
2.
to cause to sheer.
3.
Shipbuilding. to give sheer to (a hull).
noun
4.
a deviation or divergence, as of a ship from its course; swerve.
5.
Shipbuilding. the fore-and-aft upward curve of the hull of a vessel at the main deck or bulwarks.
6.
Nautical. the position in which a ship at anchor is placed to keep it clear of the anchor.
Origin
1620-30; special use of sheer1; compare sense development of clear
Examples from the web for sheer
  • The sheer magnitude, of course, is a steep barrier to hiring.
  • Steal this hotel room's romantic look with inexpensive red sheer fabric hung above the bed.
  • The first seven days of deprivation will be sheer misery, but stay on track.
  • However, it is also a result of the incentives created by the sheer size of some churches.
  • But sheer size should count for less in wealth management.
  • The sheer scale of the damage wrought on the banking sector by the credit crunch was a surprise to almost everyone.
  • Even if he behaves himself, he could still overshadow his boss through sheer talent and energy.
  • But the sheer nastiness of telling somebody it's time to go is enough to make the toughest hesitate.
  • And the sheer size of the loss partly reflects the bank's pre-eminent position in the equity-derivatives field.
  • The third reason is the sheer amount of gang activity in the region, far more than anywhere else in the country.
British Dictionary definitions for sheer

sheer1

/ʃɪə/
adjective
1.
perpendicular; very steep: a sheer cliff
2.
(of textiles) so fine as to be transparent
3.
(prenominal) absolute; unmitigated: sheer folly
4.
(obsolete) bright or shining
adverb
5.
steeply or perpendicularly
6.
completely or absolutely
noun
7.
any transparent fabric used for making garments
Derived Forms
sheerly, adverb
sheerness, noun
Word Origin
Old English scīr; related to Old Norse skīrr bright, Gothic skeirs clear, Middle High German schīr

sheer2

/ʃɪə/
verb foll by off or away (from)
1.
to deviate or cause to deviate from a course
2.
(intransitive) to avoid an unpleasant person, thing, topic, etc
noun
3.
the upward sweep of the deck or bulwarks of a vessel
4.
(nautical) the position of a vessel relative to its mooring
Word Origin
C17: perhaps variant of shear
Word Origin and History for sheer
adj.

c.1200, "exempt, free from guilt" (e.g. Sheer Thursday, the Thursday of Holy Week); later schiere "thin, sparse" (c.1400), from Old English scir "bright, clear, gleaming; translucent; pure, unmixed," and influenced by Old Norse cognate scær "bright, clean, pure," both from Proto-Germanic *skeran- (cf. Old Saxon skiri, Old Frisian skire, German schier, Gothic skeirs "clean, pure"), from PIE root *(s)ker- (1) "to cut" (see shear (v.)).

Sense of "absolute, utter" (sheer nonsense) developed 1580s, probably from the notion of "unmixed;" that of "very steep" (a sheer cliff) is first recorded 1800, probably from notion of "continued without halting." Meaning "diaphanous" is from 1560s. As an adverb from c.1600.

v.

1620s, "deviate from course" (of a ship), of obscure origin, perhaps from Dutch scheren "to move aside, withdraw, depart," originally "to separate" (see shear (v.)). Related: Sheered; shearing. As a noun from 1660s.