shearer

[Eng.shear, v.; -er.] 1. One who shears. 2. One who reaps corn. (Scotch.) shear-ing, pr. par., a. & 8. [SHEAR, v.] A. & B. As pr . par . & particip . adj .: (See the verb.) C. As substantive: I. Ordinary Language: 1. The act or operation of clipping or cutting with a shears or by a machine; as, the shearing of a sheep, the shearing of metallic plates, . 2. The proceeds of the operation of clipping by shears; as, the shearing of a flock. 3. A sheep that has been but once sheared; a shearling. 4. The act or operation of reaping. ( Scotch .) "His men were gane hame to the shearing, and he would not call them out before the victual was got in." -Scott: Waverley , ch. xviii. II. Mining : The making of vertical cuts at the ends of a portion of an undercut seam of coal, serving to destroy the continuity of the strata and facilitate the breaking down of the ma . [HOL ING.] shearing-machine, s. 1. Woolen Manuf .: A machine through which cloth is pa ed after leaving the gig-mill, to shorten the nap evenly, so as to secure a smooth surface. 2. Mach .: A machine for cutting plates and bars of iron and other metal. IMG:content-1324.png:[blocks in formation] *shearn, s . [SHARN.]