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VEER. 72 VEGETABIIiITY.
the vessel or boat gets headway. 1867 Smyth Saiior's
W^rd'ik,, To v€tr attd kaut^ to gently tauten and then
slacken a rope three times before giving a heavy pull, the
object being to concentrate the force of several men. 1875
Bedford Sailors Fockft Bk. viii. 282 By hauling and
veering on it,.. a sufficiently uniform strain on it would be
obtained, „ ,
Jig. 1891 C Roberts Adrifi A/tter. 251 The agents ha\-e
a certain margin to veer and haul on in their commission.
1901 Speaker 27 April 10Q/2 Here is a sum on which the
British Go\*ernment may fairly veer and haul.
f 6. »«/r. Of a ship; To sail with the sheet let
out. Ods.
a x6k NowenciaUr Navalis (MS. Harl. 2301) s.v., When
a Shipp sailes, and the Sbeate is veered-oul, wee saie she
goes veering. 1691 Cait, Smith's Seaman's Gram. i. xvl
76 The Ship goes Lasking, Quartering, Veermg, or Large;
are terms of the same signification, viz. that she neither goes
bya Wind nor before the wind, but betwixt both.
veer (v!*i), v,^ Forms : 6 varre (?), 7 vere,
vear e, veore, 7- veer. [ad. F. virer ( = Sp.
virar^ birar^ Pg. virar^ It. virare), to lurn, to veer;
of obscure origin. See also ViRE t^.]
1. intr, a. Of the wind : To change gradually
to pass by degrees from one jwint to another, spec,
in the direction of the sun's course. Grig. Nant.
xjSa N. LiCHKFiELD tr. CastanhedtCs Canq. E. Ind. 73
And after that the winde verred [w] to the Southwest they
bare with the same. 16*7 Capt. Smith SeamatCs Gram, ix.
39 Now the wind veeres, that is, it doth shift from point to
point. 1665 Sir T. Herbert Troj'. (1677) 6 The wind in
one hours space veering about every point of the Compass.
1^6 Goad Ceiesi. Bodies 11. vii. 231 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.
CuiRiDGE Shfph. Banbury's Rules 15 The wind commonly
veers to the South West. 1777 Phil. Trans. LXVIII.a^o
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. SoMERVitXE Conmx. 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. But-len Log Sea-ivai/ ^i-j The
next night the wind veered to the eastward.
fb. To turn round, revolve. Obs.
thou
1598 Sylvester Du Bartas u. ii. Columnes 459 O !
fair Chariot,, . thou do'stalwaies veer About the North-Pole.
Ibid. 484 .As long as Heav'n's swift Orb shall veer. 161
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.
£x6ao Z. DoYD ZiotCs Floxvers (1855) 131 The other veres
as slowe, Lar-board and Star-board. 1697 Dryden JEneid
T, io85 .\-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
CotERiE>GE Anc. Mar. m. iii, It plunged and tacked and
veered. 1848 Lytton Harold in. ii. The Earl's fleet after a
brief halt veered majestically round. 1878 Susan Phillips
On Seaboard iig The coble lossed, and veered, and tacked,
As she strove to make the shore.
3. Of things: To turn round or aliout ; 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 Pierogative.
1810 ScoTT Lady o/L. \. xiii, A narrow inlet, . . Lost for a
space, through thickets veering, But broader when again
appearing. i8a3 Byron Island \. iii, No mora at thy
command The obedient helm shall veer, the sail expand.
1865 Swinburne Poems .( Ball.y Rondel 5 Grief a fixeci star,
and joy a vane that veers. 1878 Geo. Eliot Coll. Break/,
P, 8x1 The shadows slowly farther crept and veered Like
changing memories.
b. Of persons or animals.
x76o-7» H. Brooke Foot o/Qual. (1809) HI. 17 Susanna
slipped, .from the side of her mamma, and veering toward
Harry, she went on one side. 1805 Worusw. Preludeiw. 20 '
'Twas but a short hour's walk, ere veering round I saw the
snow'white church. 1815 Cobbett Rur. Rides 322 After ,
passing Bullington, Sutton, and Wonston we veered away
from State-Charity. 1879 Tourgee FooCs 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 Dbyoeh Conq. Granaia iii. i, Two Factions turn him
with each Blast of Wind. But now he shall not veer. x68a
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 TrumpsV^ks. 1841
II. 852 Those few at last veer'd quite about. And join'd in
my disgrace, 1734 tr. Rollin's Ane, Hist. vin. §4 (1841)
I. 312/1 Alcibiades was of a pliant and flexiijle 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
Pbaed Gog Poems 1865 I. 95 Linda, like many a modern
Miss, Began to veer around at tliis. 1858 H. Bushnell
Nat, ^ Superuat, 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
Rotn, Singer 1. 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. X7U Shaftesb. Charac, (1737) I. 296 For as these
passions veer, my interest veers, my steerage varys. 1756
H. Walpole Lett. (1846) III. 198 Madame J*onipadour,
perceiving how much the King's disposition veered to devotion,
artfully look the turn of humouring it. 1813 Scoit
Hokehy I. xxii, While his own troubled passions veer
Through hatred, joy, regret, and fear. 1833 Hr. Martineau
Fr. lilies