Forms: 6 verre (?), 7 vere, vear(e, veere, 7– veer. [ad. F. virer (= Sp. virar, birar, Pg. virar, It. virare), to turn, to veer; of obscure origin. See also VIRE v.]
1. intr. a. Of the wind: To change gradually; to pass by degrees from one point to another, spec. in the direction of the sun’s course. Orig. Naut.
1582. N. Lichefield, trans. Castanheda’s Conq. E. Ind., 73. And after that the winde verred [sic] to the Southwest they bare with the same.
1627. Capt. Smith, Seaman’s Gram., ix. 39. Now the wind veeres, that is, it doth shift from point to point.
1665. Sir T. Herbert, Trav. (1677), 6. The wind in one hours space veering about every point of the Compass.
1686. Goad, Celest. Bodies, II. vii. 234. Their Influence may be separated so far as to suffer a cooler Wind to blow, which upon their Rising shall vere to a warmer point.
1744. J. Claridge, Sheph. Banbury’s Rules, 15. The wind commonly veers to the South West.
1777. Phil. Trans., LXVIII. 230. The wind was Easterly. At the instant of the shock it is said to have veered to the West.
1836. Marryat, Midsh. Easy, xxxi. The wind had veered round, and the Aurora was now able to lay up clear of the island of Maritimo.
1849. Mrs. Somerville, Connex. Phys. Sci. (ed. 8), xv. 138. When north and south winds blow alternately, the wind at any place will veer in one uniform direction through every point of the compass.
1899. F. T. Bullen, Log Sea-waif, 317. The next night the wind veered to the eastward.
† b. To turn round, revolve. Obs.
1598. Sylvester, Du Bartas, II. ii. Columnes, 459. O! thou fair Chariot,… thou do’st alwaies veer About the North-Pole. Ibid., 484. As long as Heav’n’s swift Orb shall veer.
1611. Cotgr., Virer, to veere, turne round, wheele or whirle about.
2. Naut. Of a ship: To change course; spec. to turn round with the head away from the wind in order to sail on another tack.
c. 1620. Z. Boyd, Zion’s Flowers (1855), 134. The other veres as slowe, Lar-board and Star-board.
1697. Dryden, Æneid, V. 1088. A-head of all the Master Pilot steers, And, as he leads, the following navy veers.
1761. British Mag., II. 497. The Packet in haste to Beaumaurice was veering, When, lo! a large ship towards our vessel was steering.
1798. Coleridge, Anc. Mar., III. iii. It plunged and tacked and veered.
1818. Lytton, Harold, III. ii. The Earl’s fleet after a brief halt veered majestically round.
1878. Susan Phillips, On Seaboard, 119. The coble tossed, and veered, and tacked, As she strove to make the shore.
3. Of things: To turn round or about; to change from one direction or course to another.
Also in fig. context (quot. 1690): cf. sense 4.
1633. T. James, Voy., 12. The water veer’d to a lower ebbe.
1690. Dryden, Amphitryon, V. 48. Thou Weather-cock of Government; that when the Wind … changes for the Soveraign, veers to Prerogative.
1810. Scott, Lady of L., I. xiii. A narrow inlet,… Lost for a space, through thickets veering, But broader when again appearing.
1823. Byron, Island, I. iii. No more at thy command The obedient helm shall veer, the sail expand.
1865. Swinburne, Poems & Ball., Rondel, 5. Grief a fixed star, and joy a vane that veers.
1878. Geo. Eliot, Coll. Breakf. P., 811. The shadows slowly farther crept and veered Like changing memories.
b. Of persons or animals.
1760–72. H. Brooke, Fool of Qual. (1809), III. 17. Susanna slipped … from the side of her mamma, and veering toward Harry, she went on one side.
1805. Wordsw., Prelude, IV. 20. ’Twas but a short hour’s walk, ere veering round I saw the snow-white church.
1825. Cobbett, Rur. Rides, 322. After passing Bullington, Sutton, and Wonston we veered away from State-Charity.
1879. Tourgee, Fool’s Err., xxxvi. 256. The amazed horse veered quickly to one side, and stopped as if stricken to stone.
4. fig. To change or alter; to pass from one state, position, tendency, etc., to another; to be variable or changeable: a. Of persons.
1670. Dryden, Conq. Granada, III. i. Two Factions turn him with each Blast of Wind. But now he shall not veer.
1682. S. Pordage, Medal Rev., 2. When the Tide turn’d, then strait about he veers, And for the stronger side he still appears.
1714. Swift, Jacks put to their Trumps, Wks. 1841, II. 852. Those few at last veer’d quite about, And join’d in my disgrace.
1734. trans. Rollin’s Anc. Hist., VIII. § 4 (1841), I. 312/1. Alcibiades was of a pliant and flexible disposition, that would take any impression which the difference of times and circumstances might require, still veering either to good or evil with the same facility and ardor.
1821. Praed, Gog, Poems 1865, I. 95. Linda, like many a modern Miss, Began to veer around at this.
1858. H. Bushnell, Nat. & Supernat., x. (1864), 308. The infirmity … shown by human teachers, when they veer a little from their point … to catch the assent of multitudes.
1884. F. M. Crawford, Rom. Singer, I. 56. He is a man to veer about like a weather-cock.
b. Of feelings, thoughts, conditions, etc.
1669. Dryden, Tyrannic Love, IV. i. Like a wind it [love] in no quarter stays; But points and veers each hour a thousand ways.
1711. Shaftesb., Charac. (1737), I. 296. For as these passions veer, my interest veers, my steerage varys.
1756. H. Walpole, Lett. (1846), III. 198. Madame Pompadour, perceiving how much the King’s disposition veered to devotion, artfully took the turn of humouring it.
1813. Scott, Rokeby, I. xxii. While his own troubled passions veer Through hatred, joy, regret, and fear.
1833. Ht. Martineau, Fr. Wines & Pol., iii. 47. Her thoughts were ready to veer any way in hope of escape.
1878. Bosw. Smith, Carthage, 52. Seldom has the fortune of war veered round so rapidly.
c. To diverge or differ from something. rare–1.
1796. Campaigns 1793–4, I. I. iv. 25. Your opinion, dear Richard, veer’d widely from mine.
5. absol. To alter the course of a ship, spec. by causing it to swing round with the stern to windward so as to sail on another tack. Also of a ship: To admit of veering.
1625. in Foster, Eng. Factories Ind. (1909), III. 54. [The Portuguese] payde away, vearinge to delay time for our cominge upp with them.
1627. Capt. Smith, Seaman’s Gram., ix. 40. Foundering is when she will neither veere nor steare, the Sea will … ouer rake her.
1686. trans. Chardin’s Trav. Persia, 66. If the Wind be contrary, they never strive against it, but vere about.
1692. Capt. Smith’s Seaman’s Gram., I. xvi. 76. In keeping the Ship near the Wind, these terms are used,… Veer no more, keep her to, touch the Wind.
1769. Falconer, Dict. Marine, s.v. Veering, If … it is absolutely necessary to veer, in order to save the ship from destruction.
1810. J. H. Moore, Pract. Navigator, 290. To veer, to change a ship’s course from one tack to the other, by turning her stern to windward.
1884. Pae, Eustace, 124. My lads, lie to, then veer and sail against the wind.
b. trans. (with ship as object).
1769. Falconer, Dict. Marine, s.v. Veering, When it becomes necessary to veer the ship, the sails towards the stern are either furled, or brailed up.
6. trans. To turn (something) from one course or direction to another. Also fig. (cf. 4).
(a) 1647. N. Ward, Simple Cobler (1843), 30. I veer’d my tongue to this Kind of Language de industria.
1809. Kendall, Trav., III. 18. The tone of the British Cabinet is veered by every incidental change of war.
1883. Meredith, Poet. Wks. (1912), 212. Cities and martial States, Whither soon the youth veered his theme.
(b) 1804. J. Grahame, Birds of Scot., 85. Her bleeding wing she veers…; on him she springs.
1855. Singleton, Virgil, I. 81. A lofty beech To veer [L. torqueat] the bottom of the carriage [sc. the plough].
1876. Trans. Clinical Soc., IX. 167. At each successive scarification he veers the direction of the parallel incisions.
† 7. To turn about or screw in order to adjust; to cause to revolve or whirl. Obs.
a. 1649. Drumm. of Hawth., Hist. Jas. V., Wks. (1711), 107. In musical Instruments, if a String jar and be out of Tune, we do not frettingly break it, but leisurely veer it about to a Concord.
a. 1693. Urquhart’s Rabelais, III. xvii. 140. A pair of Yarn Windles, which she … unintermittedly veered, and frisked about.
