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ca·reen (k -r n )v. ca·reened, ca·reen·ing, ca·reens v.intr.1. To lurch or swerve while in motion. 2. To rush headlong or carelessly; career: "He careened through foreign territories on a desperate kind of blitz" (Anne Tyler). 3. Nautical a. To lean to one side, as a ship sailing in the wind. b. To turn a ship on its side for cleaning, caulking, or repairing. v.tr. Nautical 1. To cause (a ship) to lean to one side; tilt. 2. a. To lean (a ship) on one side for cleaning, caulking, or repairing. b. To clean, caulk, or repair (a ship in this position). n. Nautical 1. The act or process of careening a ship. 2. The position of a careened ship.
[From French (en) carène, (on) the keel, from Old French carene, from Old Italian carena, from Latin car na; see kar- in Indo-European roots.]
ca·reen er n. Usage Note: The implication of rapidity that most often accompanies the use of careen as a verb of motion may have arisen naturally through the extension of the nautical sense of the verb to apply to the motion of automobiles, which generally careen, that is, lurch or tip over, only when driven at high speed. There is thus no reason to conclude that this use of the verb is the result of a confusion of careen with career, "to rush." Whatever the origin of this use, however, it is by now so well established that it would be pedantic to object to it. |
careen [kəˈriːn]vb1. to sway or cause to sway dangerously over to one side 2. (Transport / Nautical Terms) (tr) Nautical to cause (a vessel) to keel over to one side, esp in order to clean or repair its bottom 3. (Transport / Nautical Terms) (intr) Nautical (of a vessel) to keel over to one side [from French carène keel, from Italian carena, from Latin carīna keel] careenage n careener n
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms | Noun | 1. | careen - pitching dangerously to one side pitching, lurch, pitch - abrupt up-and-down motion (as caused by a ship or other conveyance); "the pitching and tossing was quite exciting" | | Verb | 1. | careen - walk as if unable to control one's movements; "The drunken man staggered into the room"walk - use one's feet to advance; advance by steps; "Walk, don't run!"; "We walked instead of driving"; "She walks with a slight limp"; "The patient cannot walk yet"; "Walk over to the cabinet" | | 2. | careen - move sideways or in an unsteady way; "The ship careened out of control"move - move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion; "He moved his hand slightly to the right" |
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