sheer
UK[ʃɪə(r)]US[ʃɪr]
adj
very steep; almost straight up and down
adj
(of a cloth) very thin, light, and almost transparent
adj
complete and not mixed with anything else; used to emphasize the amount or degree of something
v
to change direction suddenly, especially of a boat or ship
adv
straight up or down in a very steep way
Etymology
the word 'sheer' presents a fascinating case of convergent evolution from multiple sources. its primary adjectival senses relating to steepness and thinness derive from the old english 'scīr', meaning 'bright, pure, clear', which itself has proto-germanic origins. the nautical verb, meaning to swerve or deviate, has a separate lineage, likely from the middle low german 'scheren', meaning 'to shear' or 'to move off'. over time, the sense of 'pure and unmixed' (from the brightness/purity root) extended to mean 'absolute' or 'utter', while the idea of 'clear' evolved to describe thin, transparent fabrics. the convergence of these distinct phonetic strands into the single modern spelling 'sheer' is a historical accident, creating a polysemous word whose meanings are linked more by shared form than by a single semantic core.
Analysis
this word is considered unsegmentable into distinct, meaningful morphemes within modern english spelling. it is a simplex word.
Examples
the cliff face was a sheer drop of over three hundred meters.
she wore a dress made of sheer silk that shimmered in the light.
the plan failed through sheer incompetence.