laveer means to beat against the wind; to tack. It carries an Arena rating of 1484, earned across 10 head-to-head judged battles.
laveer is pronounced /ləˈvɪə(ɹ)/.
Why “laveer” is a great word
To sail a vessel against the wind by a series of alternating tacks. From Dutch *laveren*, meaning to tack or beat against the wind. Unlike “tack” (a specific, singular maneuver of turning a vessel’s bow through the wind) or the general “beat” (a broad term for sailing upwind), to laveer is the continuous, deliberate process—the methodical application of a single tactic into a grander strategy for progress. It is the laborious, rhythmic dance of a schooner leaning first port, then starboard; the crisp snap of canvas as the bow pivots through the eye of the gale; the patient carving of a long, jagged path across open water where a straight line is forbidden. It is the physics of indirect victory, the art of moving forward by moving sideways.
Etymology
From Dutch laveren.
verb
- To beat against the wind; to tack.“But those that 'gainst stiff Gales laveering go
Must be at once resolv'd and skilful too.”