Толковый словарь английского языка Oxford English Reference - sheer

1. adj. & adv. --adj. 1 no more or less than; mere, unqualified, absolute (sheer luck; sheer determination). 2 (of a cliff or ascent etc.) perpendicular; very steep. 3 (of a textile) very thin; diaphanous. --adv. 1 directly, outright. 2 perpendicularly. Derivatives sheerly adv. sheerness n. Etymology: ME schere prob. f. dial. shire pure, clear f. OE scir f. Gmc 2. v. & n. --v.intr. 1 esp. Naut. swerve or change course. 2 (foll. by away, off) go away, esp. from a person or topic one dislikes or fears. --n. Naut. a deviation from a course. Etymology: perh. f. MLG scheren = SHEAR v. 3. n. the upward slope of a ship's lines towards the bow and stern. Etymology: prob. f. SHEAR n.