from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Turn \Turn\ (t[^u]rn), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Turned} (t[^u]rnd);
p. pr. & vb. n. {Turning}.] [OE. turnen, tournen, OF.
tourner, torner, turner, F. tourner, LL. tornare, fr. L.
tornare to turn in a lathe, to round off, fr. tornus a lathe,
Gr. to`rnos a turner's chisel, a carpenter's tool for drawing
circles; probably akin to E. throw. See {Throw}, and cf.
{Attorney}, {Return}, {Tornado}, {Tour}, {Tournament}.]
1. To cause to move upon a center, or as if upon a center; to
give circular motion to; to cause to revolve; to cause to
move round, either partially, wholly, or repeatedly; to
make to change position so as to present other sides in
given directions; to make to face otherwise; as, to turn a
wheel or a spindle; to turn the body or the head.
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Turn the adamantine spindle round. --Milton.
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The monarch turns him to his royal guest. --Pope.
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2. To cause to present a different side uppermost or outmost;
to make the upper side the lower, or the inside to be the
outside of; to reverse the position of; as, to turn a box
or a board; to turn a coat.
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3. To give another direction, tendency, or inclination to; to
direct otherwise; to deflect; to incline differently; --
used both literally and figuratively; as, to turn the eyes
to the heavens; to turn a horse from the road, or a ship
from her course; to turn the attention to or from
something. "Expert when to advance, or stand, or, turn the
sway of battle." --Milton.
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Thrice I deluded her, and turned to sport
Her importunity. --Milton.
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My thoughts are turned on peace. --Addison.
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4. To change from a given use or office; to divert, as to
another purpose or end; to transfer; to use or employ; to
apply; to devote.
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Therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto
David. --1 Chron. x.
14.
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God will make these evils the occasion of a greater
good, by turning them to advantage in this world.
--Tillotson.
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When the passage is open, land will be turned most
to cattle; when shut, to sheep. --Sir W.
Temple.
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5. To change the form, quality, aspect, or effect of; to
alter; to metamorphose; to convert; to transform; -- often
with to or into before the word denoting the effect or
product of the change; as, to turn a worm into a winged
insect; to turn green to blue; to turn prose into verse;
to turn a Whig to a Tory, or a Hindu to a Christian; to
turn good to evil, and the like.
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The Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have
compassion upon thee. --Deut. xxx.
3.
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And David said, O Lord, I pray thee, turn the
counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. --2 Sam. xv.
31.
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Impatience turns an ague into a fever. --Jer.
Taylor.
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6. To form in a lathe; to shape or fashion (anything) by
applying a cutting tool to it while revolving; as, to turn
the legs of stools or tables; to turn ivory or metal.
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I had rather hear a brazen canstick turned. --Shak.
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7. Hence, to give form to; to shape; to mold; to put in
proper condition; to adapt. "The poet's pen turns them to
shapes." --Shak.
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His limbs how turned, how broad his shoulders spread
! --Pope.
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He was perfectly well turned for trade. --Addison.
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8. Specifically:
(a) To translate; to construe; as, to turn the Iliad.
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Who turns a Persian tale for half a crown.
--Pope.
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(b) To make acid or sour; to ferment; to curdle, etc.: as,
to turn cider or wine; electricity turns milk quickly.
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(c) To sicken; to nauseate; as, an emetic turns one's
stomach.
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9. To make a turn about or around (something); to go or pass
around by turning; as, to turn a corner.
The ranges are not high or steep, and one can turn a
kopje instead of cutting or tunneling through it.
--James Bryce.
{To be turned of}, to be advanced beyond; as, to be turned of
sixty-six.
{To turn a cold shoulder to}, to treat with neglect or
indifference.
{To turn a corner},
(a) to go round a corner.
(b) [Fig.] To advance beyond a difficult stage in a
project, or in life.
{To turn adrift}, to cast off, to cease to care for.
{To turn a flange} (Mech.), to form a flange on, as around a
metal sheet or boiler plate, by stretching, bending, and
hammering, or rolling the metal.
{To turn against}.
(a) To direct against; as, to turn one's arguments against
himself.
(b) To make unfavorable or hostile to; as, to turn one's
friends against him.
{To turn a hostile army}, {To turn the enemy's flank}, or the
like (Mil.), to pass round it, and take a position behind
it or upon its side.
{To turn a penny}, or {To turn an honest penny}, to make a
small profit by trade, or the like.
{To turn around one's finger}, to have complete control of
the will and actions of; to be able to influence at
pleasure.
{To turn aside}, to avert.
{To turn away}.
(a) To dismiss from service; to discard; as, to turn away
a servant.
(b) To avert; as, to turn away wrath or evil.
{To turn back}.
(a) To give back; to return.
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We turn not back the silks upon the merchants,
When we have soiled them. --Shak.
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(b) To cause to return or retrace one's steps; hence, to
drive away; to repel. --Shak.
{To turn down}.
(a) To fold or double down.
(b) To turn over so as to conceal the face of; as, to turn
down cards.
(c) To lower, or reduce in size, by turning a valve,
stopcock, or the like; as, turn down the lights.
{To turn in}.
(a) To fold or double under; as, to turn in the edge of
cloth.
(b) To direct inwards; as, to turn the toes in when
walking.
(c) To contribute; to deliver up; as, he turned in a large
amount. [Colloq.]
{To turn in the mind}, to revolve, ponder, or meditate upon;
-- with about, over, etc. " Turn these ideas about in your
mind." --I. Watts.
{To turn off}.
(a) To dismiss contemptuously; as, to turn off a sycophant
or a parasite.
(b) To give over; to reduce.
(c) To divert; to deflect; as, to turn off the thoughts
from serious subjects; to turn off a joke.
(d) To accomplish; to perform, as work.
(e) (Mech.) To remove, as a surface, by the process of
turning; to reduce in size by turning.
(f) To shut off, as a fluid, by means of a valve,
stopcock, or other device; to stop the passage of; as,
to turn off the water or the gas.
{To turn one's coat}, to change one's uniform or colors; to
go over to the opposite party.
{To turn one's goods} or {To turn one's money}, and the like,
to exchange in the course of trade; to keep in lively
exchange or circulation; to gain or increase in trade.
{To turn one's hand to}, to adapt or apply one's self to; to
engage in.
{To turn out}.
(a) To drive out; to expel; as, to turn a family out of
doors; to turn a man out of office.
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I'll turn you out of my kingdom. -- Shak.
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(b) to put to pasture, as cattle or horses.
(c) To produce, as the result of labor, or any process of
manufacture; to furnish in a completed state.
(d) To reverse, as a pocket, bag, etc., so as to bring the
inside to the outside; hence, to produce.
(e) To cause to cease, or to put out, by turning a
stopcock, valve, or the like; as, to turn out the
lights.
{To turn over}.
(a) To change or reverse the position of; to overset; to
overturn; to cause to roll over.
(b) To transfer; as, to turn over business to another
hand.
(c) To read or examine, as a book, while, turning the
leaves. "We turned o'er many books together." --Shak.
(d) To handle in business; to do business to the amount
of; as, he turns over millions a year. [Colloq.]
{To turn over a new leaf}. See under {Leaf}.
{To turn tail}, to run away; to retreat ignominiously.
{To turn the back}, to flee; to retreat.
{To turn the back on} or
{To turn the back upon}, to treat with contempt; to reject or
refuse unceremoniously.
{To turn the corner}, to pass the critical stage; to get by
the worst point; hence, to begin to improve, or to
succeed.
{To turn the die} or {To turn the dice}, to change fortune.
{To turn the edge of} or {To turn the point of}, to bend over
the edge or point of so as to make dull; to blunt.
{To turn the head of} or {To turn the brain of}, to make
giddy, wild, insane, or the like; to infatuate; to
overthrow the reason or judgment of; as, a little success
turned his head.
{To turn the scale} or {To turn the balance}, to change the
preponderance; to decide or determine something doubtful;
to tip the balance.
{To turn the stomach of}, to nauseate; to sicken.
{To turn the tables}, to reverse the chances or conditions of
success or superiority; to give the advantage to the
person or side previously at a disadvantage.
{To turn tippet}, to make a change. [Obs.] --B. Jonson.
{To turn to profit}, {To turn to advantage}, etc., to make
profitable or advantageous.
{To turn turtle}, to capsize bottom upward; -- said of a
vessel. [Naut. slang]
{To turn under} (Agric.), to put, as soil, manure, etc.,
underneath from the surface by plowing, digging, or the
like.
{To turn up}.
(a) To turn so as to bring the bottom side on top; as, to
turn up the trump.
(b) To bring from beneath to the surface, as in plowing,
digging, etc.
(c) To give an upward curve to; to tilt; as, to turn up
the nose.
{To turn upon}, to retort; to throw back; as, to turn the
arguments of an opponent upon himself.
{To turn upside down}, to confuse by putting things awry; to
throw into disorder.
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This house is turned upside down since Robin Ostler
died. --Shak.
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