veer

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Middle Dutch vieren (“to slacken”).

verb

1. (obsolete, nautical) To let out (a sail-line), to allow (a sheet) to run out.

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Middle French virer.

noun

1. A turn or swerve; an instance of veering.
   […] there is always a sudden, though small rise in the barometer, and a sudden drop of temperature of several degrees, sometimes as much as ten or fifteen degrees; there is also a sudden veer in the wind direction. 1917, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society

verb

1. (intransitive) To change direction or course suddenly; to swerve.
   The car slid on the ice and veered out of control.
   And as he leads, the following navy veers.
   An ordinary community which is hostile or friendly as passion or as interest may veer about. 1796, Edmund Burke, Letters on a Regicide Peace
   At this time in 2008, even as the global economy veered toward collapse, optimism about Washington ran surprisingly high. November 7, 2012, Matt Bai, “Winning a Second Term, Obama Will Confront Familiar Headwinds”, in New York Times
   As he neared a bridge over the East Coast Main Line near Great Heck, he lost control. His Land Rover left the carriageway and veered onto the hard shoulder before biting into the grass verge. [page 39] It ran derailed for about 500 yards before encountering a set of points, which caused it to veer into the path of an Immingham-Ferrybridge coal train, powered by Freightliner 66521 (one of a class of locomotive well-known for being well-built enough to destroy anything that got in its way). February 24 2021, Greg Morse, “Great Heck: a tragic chain of events”, in RAIL, number 925, pages 38, 39
2. (intransitive, of the wind) To shift in a clockwise direction (if in the Northern Hemisphere, or in a counterclockwise direction if in the Southern Hemisphere).
   1966, F. K. Hare, The Restless Atmosphere, 4th edition, Hutchinson University Library It is clear that when a front passes the observer, there must be a sudden shift in wind: in the northern hemisphere it will always veer, that is, shift in a clockwise sense.
3. (intransitive, nautical, of the wind) To shift aft.
4. (intransitive, nautical) To change direction into the wind; to wear ship.
5. (transitive) To turn.