Word: turn Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *terh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-nos Proto-Indo-European *tórh₁nos Proto-Hellenic *tórnos Ancient Greek τόρνος (tórnos)bor. Latin tornus Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin tornōbor. Proto-West Germanic *turnēn Old English turnian ▲ Latin tornō Old French tornerbor. Middle English turnen English turn From Middle English turnen, from Old English turnian, tyrnan (“to turn, rotate, revolve”), from Proto-West Germanic *turnēn (“to turn, lathe”) (also the source of German turnen and its derivatives) and Old French torner (“to turn”), both from Latin tornāre (“to round off, turn in a lathe”), from tornus (“lathe”), from Ancient Greek τόρνος (tórnos, “turning-lathe: a tool used for making circles”), from Proto-Indo-European *terh₁- (“to rub, rub by turning, turn, twist, bore”). Cognate with Old English þrāwan (“to turn, twist, wind”), whence English throw. Displaced native Middle English wenden from Old English wendan (see wend), and Middle English trenden from Old English trendan (see trend), among several other terms. Pronunciation: /tɜːn/, /tɔːn/, /tɜɹn/ 1. To make a non-linear physical movement. Labels: intransitive, person Example: the Earth turns Example: turn on the spot 2. To make a non-linear physical movement. Labels: transitive Example: Turn the knob clockwise. Example: It was not far from the house; but the ground sank into a depression there, and the ridge of it behind shut out everything except just the roof of the tallest hayrick. As one sat on the sward behind the elm, with the back turned on the rick and nothing in front but the tall elms and the oaks in the other hedge, it was quite easy to fancy it the verge of the prairie with the backwoods close by. 3. To make a non-linear physical movement. Labels: intransitive Example: She turned right at the corner. Example: I had occasion […] to make a somewhat long business trip to Chicago, and on my return […] I found Farrar awaiting me in the railroad station. He smiled his wonted fraction by way of greeting, […], and finally leading me to his buggy, turned and drove out of town. 4. To make a non-linear physical movement. Labels: transitive Example: She turned the table legs with care and precision. 5. To make a non-linear physical movement. Labels: broadly Example: […]the Poets pen turnes them to ſhapes,[…] Example: […]he was perfectly well turned for the occupations of trade and commerce. 6. To make a non-linear physical movement. Labels: transitive Example: Add sugar and butter, then turn the mixture into a dish. Example: The farmer turned the cows into a field. 7. To make a non-linear physical movement. Labels: transitive Example: turn the bed covers; turn the pages 8. To make a non-linear physical movement. Labels: figuratively, transitive Example: turn to page twenty; turn through the book 9. To make a non-linear physical movement. Labels: transitive Example: I fell off my bike and turned my ankle severely. 10. To make a non-linear physical movement. Labels: transitive 11. To make a non-linear physical movement. Labels: intransitive 12. To change condition or attitude. Labels: copulative, intransitive, transitive Example: Near-synonyms: become, get, go, come, fall, grow, wax Example: The leaves turn brown in autumn. 13. To change condition or attitude. Labels: intransitive, transitive Example: The hillside behind our house isn't generally much to look at, but once all the trees turn it's gorgeous. 14. To change condition or attitude. Labels: intransitive, transitive Example: Midas made everything turn to gold. He turned into a monster every full moon. Example: At her invitation he outlined for her the succeeding chapters with terse military accuracy; and what she liked best and best understood was avoidance of that false modesty which condescends, turning technicality into pabulum. 15. To change condition or attitude. Labels: intransitive, transitive Example: This milk has turned; it smells awful. 16. To change condition or attitude. Labels: intransitive, transitive Example: to turn cider or wine 17. To change condition or attitude. Labels: intransitive, transitive Example: How long ago was he turned? Example: His companions had turned him on purpose. Annie, bless her heart, was immune. 18. To change condition or attitude. Labels: intransitive, transitive Example: Bruce Banner turns when he is angry: he becomes the Hulk, an incredibly powerful green monster. 19. To change condition or attitude. Labels: intransitive, offensive, slang, sometimes, transitive Example: We may not be made gay or lesbian in the sense of being “turned” by some error in parenting or child rearing, but we are certainly biologically made and raised (most of us) by straights. Example: An old homophobic fantasy has it that a gay man or lesbian can be “turned” by a fulfilling sexual encounter with someone of the opposite sex 20. To change condition or attitude. Labels: intransitive, transitive Example: The decision turns on a single fact. Example: […] Conditions of Peace certainly do turn upon Events of War. 21. To change condition or attitude. Labels: intransitive, transitive Example: The prisoners turned on the warden. Example: ‘You little Fool!’ returned her sister, shaking her with the sharp pull she gave her arm. ‘Have you no spirit at all? But that’s just the way! You have no self-respect, you have no becoming pride, just as you allow yourself to be followed about by a contemptible little Chivery of a thing,’ with the scornfullest emphasis, ‘you would let your family be trodden on, and never turn.’ 22. To change condition or attitude. Labels: intransitive, transitive 23. To change condition or attitude. Labels: ambitransitive, intransitive, transitive Example: Ile looke no more, / Leaſt my braine turne,[…] 24. To change condition or attitude. Labels: intransitive, transitive Example: The sight turned my stomach. 25. To change condition or attitude. Labels: intransitive, transitive 26. To change one's course of action; to take a new approach. Labels: reflexive Example: And they made a calfe in thoſe dayes / and offered ſacrifice vnto the ymage / and reioyſed in the workes of theyr awne hondes. / Then God turned hym ſilfe / and gave them vp /[…] Example: Turne from thy fierce wrath,[…] 27. To complete. Labels: transitive, usually Example: They say they can turn the parts in two days. 28. To make (money); turn a profit. Labels: transitive Example: We turned a pretty penny with that little scheme. 29. Of a player, to go past an opposition player with the ball in one's control. Labels: transitive Example: Liverpool introduced Carroll for Spearing and were rewarded after 64 minutes when he put them back in contention. Stewart Downing blocked Jose Bosingwa's attempted clearance, which fell into the path of Carroll. He turned John Terry superbly before firing high past Cech. 30. To undergo the process of turning on a lathe. Example: Ivory turns well. 31. To bring down the feet of a child in the womb, in order to facilitate delivery. 32. To invert a type of the same thickness, as a temporary substitute for any sort which is exhausted. Labels: dated 33. To translate. Labels: archaic Example: to turn the Iliad Example: who turns a Persian tale for half a crown 34. To magically or divinely repel undead. Labels: transitive 35. To carve vegetables into uniform barrel-like or American football-like shapes. Example: The hardest part of culinary school was learning to turn vegetables perfectly.