Naut. Pa. t. and pa. pple. wore. Forms: 7 weare, warre, wayer, werr, 7–9 ware, 7– wear. Pa. t. 8–9 wared, 7– wore. Pa. pple. 9 weared, 8–9 wore. [Of obscure origin; in sense it coincides with VEER v.22, but the early forms seem to forbid the supposition of connection with that verb unless they are due to association with WEAR v.1]
1. intr. Of a ship: To come round on the other tack by turning the head away from the wind. Often with round. Opposed to tack.
1614. Gorges, Lucan, V. 200. To guide the helme the maister dreads: To port, to weare, or serue the seas, The labouring ship he cannot ease.
1626. Capt. J. Smith, Accid. Yng. Seamen, 28. The ship will not wayer. Ibid. (1627), Sea Gram., ix. 37. Touch the wind, and warre no more.
1669. Sturmy, Mariner’s Mag., I. ii. 18. Werr no more.
1697. Lond. Gaz., No. 3318/3. They both wore round and Attackt us on the Starboard-side.
1761. Brit. Mag., II. 535. The Bellona was made to ware round by means of her studding-sails.
1795. Nelson, in Nicolas, Disp. (1845), II. 14. I saw the Sans Culotte, who had before wore with many of the Enemy’s Ships, under our lee bow.
1840. R. H. Dana, Bef. Mast, xi. 25. We wore round and stood off again.
1865. W. G. Palgrave, Arabia, II. 203. Wearing slowly up with a side wind we anchored a little after sunset.
1880. Times, 25 Dec., 7/4. The ship sails well,… stays quickly and surely; also wears well.
2. trans. To put (a ship) about, bringing her stern to windward.
1719. De Foe, Crusoe, II. (Globe), 519. We … war’d the Ship again, and brought our Quarter to bear upon them.
1726. Shelvocke, Voy. round World, 261. They … wore ship, and hauled close on a wind to the westward.
1797. Nelson, in Duncan, Life (1806), 40. I ordered the ship to be wore.
1820. Scoresby, Acc. Arctic Regions, II. 374. The ship was instantly ‘weared.’ Ibid., 440. When we attempted to ware the ship … she refused to turn round.
1840. R. H. Dana, Bef. Mast, x. 23. When the watch came up, we wore ship, and stood on the other tack.
1904. Times, 22 March, 9/5. The Mona continued to run before the wind, her crew having seemingly been unable to wear her.
