SWERVE
swerve, swerving, veering
(noun) the act of turning aside suddenly
yaw, swerve
(noun) an erratic deflection from an intended course
swerve, sheer, curve, trend, veer, slue, slew, cut
(verb) turn sharply; change direction abruptly; “The car cut to the left at the intersection”; “The motorbike veered to the right”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Verb
swerve (third-person singular simple present swerves, present participle swerving, simple past and past participle swerved)
(archaic) To stray; to wander; to rove.
To go out of a straight line; to deflect.
To wander from any line prescribed, or from a rule or duty; to depart from what is established by law, duty, custom, or the like; to deviate.
To bend; to incline.
To climb or move upward by winding or turning.
To turn aside or deviate to avoid impact.
Of a projectile, to travel in a curved line
To drive in the trajectory of another vehicle to stop it, to cut off.
Noun
swerve (plural swerves)
A sudden movement out of a straight line, for example to avoid a collision.
A deviation from duty or custom.
Anagrams
• Wevers
Source: Wiktionary
Swerve, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Swerved; p. pr. & vb. n. Swerving.] Etym:
[OE. swerven, AS. sweorfan to wipe off, to file, to polish; akin to
OFries. swerva to creep, D. zwerven to swerve, to rope, OS. swerban
to wipe off, MHG. swerben to be whirled, OHG. swerban to wipe off,
Icel. sverfa to file, Goth. swaĂrban (in comp.) to wipe, and perhaps
to E. swarm. Cf. Swarm.]
1. To stray; to wander; to rope. [Obs.]
A maid thitherward did run, To catch her sparrow which from her did
swerve. Sir P. Sidney.
2. To go out of a straight line; to deflect. "The point [of the
sword] swerved." Sir P. Sidney.
3. To wander from any line prescribed, or from a rule or duty; to
depart from what is established by law, duty, custom, or the like; to
deviate.
I swerve not from thy commandments. Bk. of Com. Prayer.
They swerve from the strict letter of the law. Clarendon.
Many who, through the contagion of evil example, swerve exceedingly
from the rules of their holy religion. Atterbury.
4. To bend; to incline. "The battle swerved." Milton.
5. To climb or move upward by winding or turning.
The tree was high; Yet nimbly up from bough to bough I swerved.
Dryden.
Swerve, v. t.
Definition: To turn aside. Gauden.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition