- careen
- 1591, "to turn a ship on its side" (with the keel exposed), from M.Fr. carene "keel," from It. (Genoese dialect) carena, from L. carina "keel of a ship," originally "nutshell." Generalized sense of "to lean, to tilt" is 1883; confused with career (v.) since at least 1923. To career is to move rapidly; to careen is to lurch from side to side (often while moving rapidly).