turning

turning
    n 1: the act of changing or reversing the direction of the
         course; "he took a turn to the right" [syn: {turn},
         {turning}]
    2: act of changing in practice or custom; "the law took many
       turnings over the years"
    3: a shaving created when something is produced by turning it on
       a lathe
    4: a movement in a new direction; "the turning of the wind"
       [syn: {turning}, {turn}]
    5: the end-product created by shaping something on a lathe
    6: the activity of shaping something on a lathe
    

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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Turning \Turn"ing\, n.
   1. The act of one who, or that which, turns; also, a winding;
      a bending course; a flexure; a meander.
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            Through paths and turnings often trod by day.
                                                  --Milton.
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   2. The place of a turn; an angle or corner, as of a road.
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            It is preached at every turning.      --Coleridge.
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   3. Deviation from the way or proper course. --Harmar.
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   4. Turnery, or the shaping of solid substances into various
      forms by means of a lathe and cutting tools.
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   5. pl. The pieces, or chips, detached in the process of
      turning from the material turned; -- usually used in the
      plural.
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   6. (Mil.) A maneuver by which an enemy or a position is
      turned.
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   {Turning and boring mill}, a kind of lathe having a vertical
      spindle and horizontal face plate, for turning and boring
      large work.

   {Turning bridge}. See the Note under {Drawbridge}.

   {Turning engine}, an engine lathe.

   {Turning lathe}, a lathe used by turners to shape their work.
      

   {Turning pair}. See the Note under {Pair}, n.

   {Turning point}, the point upon which a question turns, and
      which decides a case.
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211 Moby Thesaurus words for "turning":
      S-curve, aberrancy, aberrant, aberration, aberrative, about-face,
      ambages, ambagious, anfractuosity, anfractuous, angle,
      angular momentum, angular motion, angular velocity, axial motion,
      bend, bending, bias, bow, bowing, bowling, branching off,
      centrifugation, circling, circuition, circuitous, circuitousness,
      circuitry, circularity, circulation, circumambages, circumambience,
      circumambiency, circumambulation, circumbendibus, circumflexion,
      circumgyration, circumlocution, circumlocutory, circummigration,
      circumnavigation, circumrotation, circumvolution, conflexure,
      convolution, convolutional, corner, crinkle, crinkling, crook,
      curve, declination, deflection, departing, departure, desultory,
      detour, deviance, deviancy, deviant, deviating, deviation,
      deviative, deviatory, devious, deviousness, digression, digressive,
      discursion, discursive, divagation, divarication, divergence,
      diversion, dogleg, double, drift, drifting, errant, errantry,
      erratic, excursion, excursive, excursus, exorbitation, flection,
      flex, flexuose, flexuosity, flexuous, flexuousness, flexure,
      full circle, geanticline, geosyncline, gyrating, gyration, gyre,
      gyring, hairpin, hairpin turn, indirect, indirection, inflection,
      intorsion, involute, involuted, involution, involutional,
      labyrinthine, mazy, meander, meandering, meandrous, obliquity,
      orbit, orbiting, out-of-the-way, oxbow, pererration, pivoting,
      planetary, rambling, reeling, reflection, reverse, reversion,
      revolution, revolving, right-about, rivose, rivulation, rivulose,
      roll, rolling, rotating, rotation, rotational motion, roundabout,
      roundaboutness, rounding, roving, ruffled, serpentine, sheer,
      shift, shifting, shifting course, shifting path, sinuate,
      sinuation, sinuose, sinuosity, sinuous, sinuousness, skew, slant,
      slinkiness, snakiness, snaky, spin, spinning, spiral, spiraling,
      stray, straying, sweep, swerve, swerving, swinging, swirling,
      swiveling, tack, torsion, torsional, tortile, tortility,
      tortuosity, tortuous, tortuousness, trolling, trundling,
      turbination, turn, turnabout, twirling, twist, twisting, twisty,
      undirected, undulation, vagrant, variation, veer, veering,
      volte-face, volutation, volution, wandering, warp, wave, waving,
      wheeling, whir, whirling, whorled, winding, wreathlike, wreathy,
      yaw, zigzag