viraje

turn, swerve

noun bee-RAH-heh Rare

Also means

change of direction (figurative)

Usage Note

Viraje comes from virar (to turn) and describes a sharp change of direction — literal (a bend in a road, a nautical manoeuvre) or figurative (a policy shift, a change of strategy). In photography and film, viraje can also mean toning (chemical colour shift of a print), though this specialist sense is uncommon. The more general figurative use (un viraje político, a political turn) is found in quality journalism.

Examples

"El coche hizo un viraje brusco a la derecha."

Natural Translation

The car made a sharp swerve to the right.

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