Veer
/vɪər/noun
To change direction or turn aside; to shift course.
Did you know?Veer entered English through nautical use, and its older history is tangled with words for turning and winding, which is why it carries that sharp sense of an abrupt change in course.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wer-
“to turn, bend, or twist”
Latin
Latin
vertere
“to turn, rotate, or change”
Old French
Old French
virer
“to turn, veer, or swing around”
Middle English
English
veeren
“to turn aside or change direction, especially of a ship”
Modern English
English
veer
“to change direction or course abruptly”