¹shear

verb \ˈshir\

: to cut the hair, wool, etc., off (an animal)

: to cut off (an animal's hair, wool, etc.)

: to cut off a person's hair

shearedsheared or shorn \ˈshȯrn\ shear·ing

Full Definition of SHEAR

transitive verb

a : to cut off the hair from

b : to cut or clip (as hair or wool) from someone or something; also : to cut something from <shear a lawn>

c chiefly Scottish : to reap with a sickle

d : to cut or trim with shears or a similar instrument

: to cut with something sharp

: to deprive of something as if by cutting <lives shorn of any hope — M. W. Browne>

a : to subject to a shear force

b : to cause (as a rock mass) to move along the plane of contact

intransitive verb

: to cut through something with or as if with a sharp instrument

chiefly Scottish : to reap crops with a sickle

: to become divided under the action of a shear

— shear·er noun

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Origin of SHEAR

Middle English sheren, from Old English scieran; akin to Old Norse skera to cut, Latin curtus mutilated, curtailed, Greek keirein to cut, shear, Sanskrit kṛnāti he injures

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to SHEAR

Synonyms: bob, crop, cut, cut back, dock, lop (off), nip, pare, poll, prune, shave, clip, snip, trim

²shear

noun

Definition of SHEAR

a (1) : a cutting implement similar or identical to a pair of scissors but typically larger —usually used in plural (2) : one blade of a pair of shears

b : any of various cutting tools or machines operating by the action of opposed cutting edges of metal —usually used in plural

c (1) : something resembling a shear or a pair of shears (2) : a hoisting apparatus consisting of two or sometimes more upright spars fastened together at their upper ends and having tackle for masting or dismasting ships or lifting heavy loads (as guns) —usually used in plural but singular or plural in construction

chiefly British : the action or process or an instance of shearing —used in combination to indicate the approximate age of sheep in terms of shearings undergone

a : internal force tangential to the section on which it acts —called also shearing force

b : an action or stress resulting from applied forces that causes or tends to cause two contiguous parts of a body to slide relatively to each other in a direction parallel to their plane of contact