Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Turn \Turn\, v. t.
   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 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.

Turn \Turn\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Turned}; 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 rounds off, fr. tornus a lathe, Gr. ? 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.

            Turn the adamantine spindle round.    --Milton.

            The monarch turns him to his royal guest. --Pope.

   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.

   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.

            Thrice I deluded her, and turned to sport Her
            importunity.                          --Milton.

            My thoughts are turned on peace.      --Addison.

   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.

            Therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto
            David.                                --1 Chron. x.
                                                  14.

            God will make these evils the occasion of a greater
            good, by turning them to advantage in this world.
                                                  --Tillotson.

            When the passage is open, land will be turned most
            to cattle; when shut, to sheep.       --Sir W.
                                                  Temple.

   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.

            The Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have
            compassion upon thee.                 --Deut. xxx.
                                                  3.

            And David said, O Lord, I pray thee, turn the
            counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. --2 Sam. xv.
                                                  31.

            Impatience turns an ague into a fever. --Jer.
                                                  Taylor.

   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.

            I had rather hear a brazen canstick turned. --Shak.

   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.

            His limbs how turned, how broad his shoulders spread
            !                                     --Pope.

            He was perfectly well turned for trade. --Addison.

   8. Specifically:
      (a) To translate; to construe; as, to turn the Iliad.

                Who turns a Persian tale for half a crown.
                                                  --Pope.
      (b) To make acid or sour; to ferment; to curdle, etc.: as,
          to turn cider or wine; electricity turns milk quickly.
      (c) To sicken; to nauseate; as, an emetic turns one's
          stomach.

   {To be turned of}, 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}, to go round a corner.

Turn \Turn\, v. i.
   1. To move round; to have a circular motion; to revolve
      entirely, repeatedly, or partially; to change position, so
      as to face differently; to whirl or wheel round; as, a
      wheel turns on its axis; a spindle turns on a pivot; a man
      turns on his heel.

            The gate . . . on golden hinges turning. --Milton.

   2. Hence, to revolve as if upon a point of support; to hinge;
      to depend; as, the decision turns on a single fact.

            Conditions of peace certainly turn upon events of
            war.                                  --Swift.

   3. To result or terminate; to come about; to eventuate; to
      issue.

            If we repent seriously, submit contentedly, and
            serve him faithfully, afflictions shall turn to our
            advantage.                            --Wake.

   4. To be deflected; to take a different direction or
      tendency; to be directed otherwise; to be differently
      applied; to be transferred; as, to turn from the road.

            Turn from thy fierce wrath.           --Ex. xxxii.
                                                  12.

            Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways. --Ezek.
                                                  xxxiii. 11.

            The understanding turns inward on itself, and
            reflects on its own operations.       --Locke.

   5. To be changed, altered, or transformed; to become
      transmuted; also, to become by a change or changes; to
      grow; as, wood turns to stone; water turns to ice; one
      color turns to another; to turn Mohammedan.

            I hope you have no intent to turn husband. --Shak.

            Cygnets from gray turn white.         --Bacon.

   6. To undergo the process of turning on a lathe; as, ivory
      turns well.

   7. Specifically:
      (a) To become acid; to sour; -- said of milk, ale, etc.
      (b) To become giddy; -- said of the head or brain.

                I'll look no more; Lest my brain turn. --Shak.
      (c) To be nauseated; -- said of the stomach.
      (d) To become inclined in the other direction; -- said of
          scales.
      (e) To change from ebb to flow, or from flow to ebb; --
          said of the tide.
      (f) (Obstetrics) To bring down the feet of a child in the
          womb, in order to facilitate delivery.

   8. (Print.) To invert a type of the same thickness, as
      temporary substitute for any sort which is exhausted.

   {To turn about}, to face to another quarter; to turn around.
      

   {To turn again}, to come back after going; to return. --Shak.

   {To turn against}, to become unfriendly or hostile to.

   {To turn} {aside or away}.
      (a) To turn from the direct course; to withdraw from a
          company; to deviate.
      (b) To depart; to remove.
      (c) To avert one's face.

   {To turn back}, to turn so as to go in an opposite direction;
      to retrace one's steps.

   {To turn in}.
      (a) To bend inward.
      (b) To enter for lodgings or entertainment.
      (c) To go to bed. [Colloq.]

   {To turn into}, to enter by making a turn; as, to turn into a
      side street.

   {To turn off}, to be diverted; to deviate from a course; as,
      the road turns off to the left.

   {To turn on} or {upon}.
      (a) To turn against; to confront in hostility or anger.
      (b) To reply to or retort.
      (c) To depend on; as, the result turns on one condition.
          

   {To turn out}.
      (a) To move from its place, as a bone.
      (b) To bend or point outward; as, his toes turn out.
      (c) To rise from bed. [Colloq.]
      (d) To come abroad; to appear; as, not many turned out to
          the fire.
      (e) To prove in the result; to issue; to result; as, the
          crops turned out poorly.

   {To turn over}, to turn from side to side; to roll; to
      tumble.

   {To turn round}.
      (a) To change position so as to face in another direction.
      (b) To change one's opinion; to change from one view or
          party to another.

   {To turn to}, to apply one's self to; have recourse to; to
      refer to. ``Helvicus's tables may be turned to on all
      occasions.'' --Locke.

   {To turn to account}, {profit}, {advantage}, or the like, to
      be made profitable or advantageous; to become worth the
      while.

   {To turn under}, to bend, or be folded, downward or under.

   {To turn up}.
      (a) To bend, or be doubled, upward.
      (b) To appear; to come to light; to transpire; to occur;
          to happen.

Turn \Turn\, n.
   1. The act of turning; movement or motion about, or as if
      about, a center or axis; revolution; as, the turn of a
      wheel.

   2. Change of direction, course, or tendency; different order,
      position, or aspect of affairs; alteration; vicissitude;
      as, the turn of the tide.

            At length his complaint took a favorable turn.
                                                  --Macaulay.

            The turns and varieties of all passions. --Hooker.

            Too well the turns of mortal chance I know. --Pope.

   3. One of the successive portions of a course, or of a series
      of occurrences, reckoning from change to change; hence, a
      winding; a bend; a meander.

            And all its [the river's] thousand turns disclose.
            Some fresher beauty varying round.    --Byron.

   4. A circuitous walk, or a walk to and fro, ending where it
      began; a short walk; a stroll.

            Come, you and I must walk a turn together. --Shak.

            I will take a turn in your garden.    --Dryden.

   5. Successive course; opportunity enjoyed by alternation with
      another or with others, or in due order; due chance;
      alternate or incidental occasion; appropriate time.
      ``Nobleness and bounty . . . had their turns in his [the
      king's] nature.''

            His turn will come to laugh at you again. --Denham.

            Every one has a fair turn to be as great as he
            pleases.                              --Collier.

   6. Incidental or opportune deed or office; occasional act of
      kindness or malice; as, to do one an ill turn.

            Had I not done a friendes turn to thee? --Chaucer.

            thanks are half lost when good turns are delayed.
                                                  --Fairfax.

   7. Convenience; occasion; purpose; exigence; as, this will
      not serve his turn.

            I have enough to serve mine own turn. --Shak.

   8. Form; cast; shape; manner; fashion; -- used in a literal
      or figurative sense; hence, form of expression; mode of
      signifying; as, the turn of thought; a man of a sprightly
      turn in conversation.

            The turn of both his expressions and thoughts is
            unharmonious.                         --Dryden.

            The Roman poets, in their description of a beautiful
            man, often mention the turn of his neck and arms.
                                                  --Addison.

   9. A change of condition; especially, a sudden or recurring
      symptom of illness, as a nervous shock, or fainting spell;
      as, a bad turn. [Colloq.]

   10. A fall off the ladder at the gallows; a hanging; -- so
       called from the practice of causing the criminal to stand
       on a ladder which was turned over, so throwing him off,
       when the signal was given. [Obs.]

   11. A round of a rope or cord in order to secure it, as about
       a pin or a cleat.

   12. (Mining) A pit sunk in some part of a drift.

   13. (Eng. Law) A court of record, held by the sheriff twice a
       year in every hundred within his county. --Blount.

   14. pl. (Med.) Monthly courses; menses. [Colloq.]

   15. (Mus.) An embellishment or grace (marked thus, ?),
       commonly consisting of the principal note, or that on
       which the turn is made, with the note above, and the
       semitone below, the note above being sounded first, the
       principal note next, and the semitone below last, the
       three being performed quickly, as a triplet preceding the
       marked note. The turn may be inverted so as to begin with
       the lower note, in which case the sign is either placed
       on end thus ?, or drawn thus ?.

   {By turns}.
       (a) One after another; alternately; in succession.
       (b) At intervals. ``[They] feel by turns the bitter
           change.'' --Milton.

   {In turn}, in due order of succession.

   {To a turn}, exactly; perfectly; as, done to a turn; -- a
      phrase alluding to the practice of cooking on a revolving
      spit.

   {To take turns}, to alternate; to succeed one another in due
      order.

   {Turn and turn about}, by equal alternating periods of
      service or duty; by turns.

   {Turn bench}, a simple portable lathe, used on a bench by
      clock makers and watchmakers.

   {Turn buckle}. See {Turnbuckle}, in Vocabulary.

   {Turn cap}, a sort of chimney cap which turns round with the
      wind so as to present its opening to the leeward. --G.
      Francis.

   {Turn of life} (Med.), change of life. See under {Change}.

   {Turn screw}, a screw driver.

Source : WordNet®

turn
     n 1: a circular segment of a curve; "a bend in the road"; "a
          crook in the path" [syn: {bend}, {crook}]
     2: the act of changing or reversing the direction of the
        course; "he took a turn to the right" [syn: {turning}]
     3: the activity of doing something in an agreed succession; "it
        is my turn"; "it is still my play" [syn: {play}]
     4: an unforeseen development; "events suddenly took an awkward
        turn" [syn: {turn of events}, {twist}]
     5: a movement in a new direction; "the turning of the wind"
        [syn: {turning}]
     6: turning away or in the opposite direction; "he made an
        abrupt turn away from her"
     7: turning or twisting around (in place); "with a quick twist
        of his head he surveyed the room" [syn: {twist}]
     8: a time for working (after which you will be relieved by
        someone else); "it's my go"; "a spell of work" [syn: {go},
         {spell}, {tour}]
     9: (sports) a period of play during which one team is on the
        offensive [syn: {bout}, {round}]
     10: a short theatrical performance that is part of a longer
         program; "he did his act three times every evening"; "she
         had a catchy little routine"; "it was one of the best
         numbers he ever did" [syn: {act}, {routine}, {number}, {bit}]
     11: a favor for someone; "he did me a good turn" [syn: {good
         turn}]
     12: taking a short walk out and back; "we took a turn in the
         park"

turn
     v 1: change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense;
          "Turn towards me"; "The mugger turned and fled before I
          could see his face"; "She turned from herself and
          learned to listen to others' needs"
     2: undergo a change or development; "The water turned into
        ice"; "Her former friend became her worst enemy"; "He
        turned traitor" [syn: {become}]
     3: undergo a transformation or a change of position or action;
        "We turned from Socialism to Capitalism"; "The people
        turned against the President when he stole the election"
        [syn: {change state}]
     4: cause to move around or rotate; "turn a key"; "turn your
        palm this way"
     5: pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property
        or attribute; become; "The weather turned nasty"; "She
        grew angry" [syn: {grow}]
     6: to send or let go; "They turned away the crowd at the gate
        of the governor's mansion"
     7: pass to the other side of; "turn the corner"; "move around
        the obstacle" [syn: {move around}]
     8: move around an axis or a center; "The wheels are turning"
     9: cause to move around a center so as to show another side of;
        "turn a page of a book" [syn: {turn over}]
     10: change to the contrary; "The trend was reversed"; "the tides
         turned against him"; "public opinion turned when it was
         revealed that the president had an affair with a White
         House intern" [syn: {change by reversal}, {reverse}]
     11: to break and turn over earth especially with a plow; "Farmer
         Jones plowed his east field last week"; "turn the earth
         in the Spring" [syn: {plow}, {plough}]
     12: change color; "In Vermont, the leaves turn early"
     13: cause to change or turn into something different;assume new
         characteristics; "The princess turned the frog into a
         prince by kissing him"; "The alchemists tried to turn
         lead into gold"
     14: let (something) fall or spill a container; "turn the flour
         onto a plate" [syn: {release}]
     15: twist suddenly so as to sprain; "wrench one's ankle"; "The
         wrestler twisted his shoulder"; "the hikers sprained
         their ankles when they fell"; "I turned my ankle and
         couldn't walk for several days" [syn: {twist}, {sprain},
         {wrench}, {wrick}, {rick}]
     16: shape by rotating on a lathe or cutting device or a wheel;
         "turn the legs of the table"; "turn the clay on the
         wheel"
     17: go sour or spoil; "The milk has soured"; "The wine worked";
         "The cream has turned--we have to throw it out" [syn: {sour},
          {ferment}, {work}]
     18: accomplish by rotating; "turn a somersault"; "turn
         cartwheels"
     19: get by buying and selling; "the company turned a good profit
         after a year"
     20: cause to move along an axis or into a new direction; "turn
         your face to the wall"; "turn the car around"; "turn your
         dance partner around"
     21: channel one's attention, interest, thought, or attention
         toward or away from something; "The pedophile turned to
         boys for satisfaction"; "people turn to mysticism at the
         turn of a millenium"
     22: cause (a plastic object) to assume a crooked or angular
         form; "bend the rod"; "twist the dough into a braid";
         "the strong man could turn an iron bar" [syn: {flex}, {bend},
          {deform}, {twist}] [ant: {unbend}]
     23: alter the functioning or setting of; "turn the dial to 10";
         "turn the heat down"
     24: direct at someone; "She turned a smile on me"; "They turned
         their flashlights on the car"
     25: have recourse to or make an appeal or request for help or
         information to; "She called on her Representative to help
         her"; "She turned to her relatives for help" [syn: {call
         on}]
     26: become officially one year older; "She is turning 50 this
         year"

Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

TURN
     
         An {SMTP} command with which a {client}
        asks the {server} to open an SMTP connection to the client,
        thus reversing their roles.
     
        Superseded by {ETRN}.
     
        (1997-11-21)