▪ I. stern, n.1
(stɜːn)
Forms: 1 stearn, stearno, stærn, stern; 7 sterne, 9 stern, 9 dial. starn.
[OE. stearn, glossing L. beacita, fida, gavia and also sturnus. Cf. Fris. stern (steern); stern-k; stern-s (stirn-s, starn-s) sea-swallow, tern. The mod.E. vowel, if genuine, is probably the result of lengthening before -rn.
ME. examples are wanting, but W. Turner Avium præcipuarum historia, 1544, art. Gavia, speaks of a species ‘nostrati lingua sterna vocata’. The word was taken up by Gesner and other writers, whence probably it found its way into the Douay Bible. It was later adopted by Linnæus as the name of a genus Sterna; hence F. sterne.
The meaning ‘starling’, implied by early glosses to sturnus (stronus), seems to be found in mod. Somerset dial. (see Eng. Dial. Dict. s.v. Starn n.4); but the two names might easily be confused.]
A sea-bird; the tern, esp. the black tern (Hydrochelidon nigra).
| c 800 Erfurt Gloss. 1116 Gavia, avis qui dicitur: stern saxonice. a 950 Seafarer 23 (Gr.) Stormas þær stanclifu beotan þær him stearn oncwæð isiᵹfeþera. 1609 Bible (Douay) Lev. xi. 16 Of birdes these are they which you must not eate..the ostrich, and the owle, and the sterne, and the hauke. 1813 Montagu Ornith. Suppl. Tern, black..Provincial. Stern. Car-Swallow. 1896 Newton Dict. Birds 955 note, Starn was used in Norfolk in the middle of this century for the bird known by the book-name of Black Tern. |
▪ II. stern, starn, n.2 Now only
Sc. (
starn)
Forms: α. 3 (
Orm.)
steorrne,
sterrne, 4–6
sterne, 4–6, 9
stern; β. 4–6
starne, 6–9
starn.
[a. ON. stjarna: see star n.1] = star n.1| α c 1200 Ormin 3646, & teȝȝre steorrne wass wiþþ hemm To ledenn hemm þe weȝȝe. Ibid. 7112 New sterrne & all unncuþ wass wrohht. a 1300 Cursor M. 375 Þe firmament..wit sterns, gret and smale. c 1300 Havelok 1809 Was non of hem þat his hernes Ne lay þer-ute ageyn þe sternes. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 9031 Þen ros a sterne..‘Comete’ ys cald in astronomye. 1375 Barbour Bruce iv. 711 Thouch a man..Studeit swa in astrology, That on the sternis his hed he brak. 1456 Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 17 Thare fell a grete stern out of the hevin. 1508 Dunbar Golden Targe 1 Ryght as the stern of day begonth to schyne. 1599 A. Hume Hymns ii. 121 Strange tailed sterns appeiris. 1818 Scott Hrt. Midl. xvii, There's a heaven aboon us a',..and a bonny moon, and sterns in it forby. 1819 W. Tennant Papistry Storm'd (1827) 42 The sterns are blindet wi' the licht. |
| β c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xl. (Ninian) 167 Sancte martyne,..þat as a starne clerly schane. c 1460 Towneley Myst. xiv. 98 To wyt what this starne may mene. 1581 J. Derricke Image Irel. (1883) 86 A passyng starne, to guide mans shipp aright. 1596 Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. II. 90/4 The Pleiades called the 7 starnis. 1725 Ramsay Gentle Sheph. iii. iii, Kiss, kiss! we'll kiss the sun and starns away. 1790 Burns ‘O death! thou tyrant’ iii, Ye hills, near neebors o' the starns. 1835 Carrick Laird of Logan (1841) 185 No a starn was to be seen i' the lift. |
b. In transferred uses (see
star n.1).
| c 1400 Anturs of Arth. xxxi, With his sternes of gold, stanseld on stray. c 1450 Reg. Vestments etc. St. Andrews in Maitl. Club Misc. III. 205 Item thre gret sternis of brace for the kyrk. c 1450 St. Cuthbert 405 Þe calf is rede I vndertake, With a white sterne in þe fronte. 1454 Test. Ebor. (Surtees) II. 176 Rede cape with starnes of gold. 1569–70 G. Conyers Will in Fabric Rolls York Minster (Surtees) Gloss., A blacke stagge with a starne in his forehead. 1814 W. Nicholson Tales in Verse 145 The lairdy langs for titles braw, For ribbons an' for starns. |
c. attrib. as
† stern-leam,
† stern-shot, a shooting star (
cf. star-shot);
† stern-slime, nostoc (
cf. star n.1 22 b).
| c 1200 Ormin 7276 Forr Crist sellf iss þatt sterrnelem Þatt all mannkinn birrþ follȝhenn. 1483 Cath. Angl. 362/2 A Sterne slyme, assub. 1513 Douglas æneis v. ix. 69 As dois oft sterne schot falling fra the hevin Drawand thair⁓efter a taile of fyrie levin. |
▪ III. stern, n.3 (
stɜːn)
Forms: α. 4–8
sterne, 4
steorne, 5–6
steerne, 6
stierne, 6–7
stearne, 4–
stern. β. 6, 9
starn dial., 7
starne dial. γ. 6
storne.
[Probably a. ON. stjórn fem. steering; an abstract formation with -nō suffix from OTeut. *steurjan, ON. st{yacu}ra, OE. st{iacu}eran: see steer v. Cf. OFris. stiarne, stioerne stern, rudder. This etymology accords with the scanty evidence of early distribution. But the earliest sense recorded in English, ‘hinder part of a ship’, appears in
OFris. and not in
ON., and a native origin is not impossible. Evidence is, however, lacking for the supposed
OE. *stéorn.]
† 1. a. The steering gear of a ship, the rudder and helm together; but often applied to the rudder only, less commonly to the helm only.
Obs.| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. C. 149 Þe bur ber to hit baft þat braste alle her gere, Þen hurled on a hepe þe helme & þe sterne. 1387–8 T. Usk Test. Love i. i. (Skeat) 35 How shulde a ship, withouten a sterne, in the grete see be governed. c 1430 Pilgr. Lyf Manhode ii. xc. (1869) 108 Þilke þat maketh þe gouernour slepe amiddes þe ship vnder þe mast, whan he hath lost oþer broken þe steerne. 1471 Caxton Recuyell (Sommer) 171 A tempest..bare many shyppys wyth theyr apparayll vnder water, brake theyr sternes and helmes [etc.]. 1607 R. Wilkinson Merchant Royall 11 A ship..is yet commanded by the helme or sterne, a small peece of wood. 1610 Holland Camden's Brit. (1637) 657 This Beaver..having a long taile..which in his floting he useth in lieu of a sterne. 1640 Habington Q. Arragon v. H 2, A storme Ore tooke the ship, so powerfull that the Pilot Gave up the Sterne to th'ordering of the waves. 1671 tr. Palafox's Conq. China by Tartars xxiv. 414 They..made them content to bring ashore all their great Guns.., nay the very Sails and Sterns from off their Ships. |
† b. transf. An apparatus which controls a horse, machine, etc. as a rudder controls a ship.
Obs.| 1607 Markham Caval. ii. (1617) 213, I discommended them [sharp cavezans] vtterly as the first instruments or sternes wherewith to gouerne a Colt at his first backing. 1660 Marquis of Worcester Exact Def. 15 The [Water-Commanding] Engine consisteth of..5. A Helm or Stern with Bitt and Reins, wherewith a Child may guide, order, and controul the whole Operation. |
† c. fig. That which guides or controls affairs, actions, etc.; also, from (the metaphor of the ship of state), government, rule.
Obs.| 1577 tr. Bullinger's Decades 1001 Whiche is the healme..and stearne of the Euangelists and Apostles doctrine. a 1586 Sidney Arcadia iii. (1598) 361 The turning of Zelmanes eye was a strong sterne enough to all their motions. 1591 Sylvester Du Bartas i. vii. 233 His envious brethren's trecherous drift, Him to the Stern of Memphian State had lift. 1597 Beard Theatre God's Judgem. (1612) Pref., There is a God aboue that guideth the sterne of the world. 1602 W. Fulbecke 2nd Pt. Parall. 15 Of both these riseth an action triable wel enough by the Canon Law: for in this matter the Canon is the sterne and motiue of our iudgements. c 1618 Moryson Itin. iv. i. vii. (1903) 111 To the hands of these 28 Familyes, the Stern of the Commonwealth was committed. |
† d. In various phrases, with literal or figurative meaning.
to be, sit, at the stern,
to stand to stern,
to conduct,
guide,
hold,
keep,
possess,
rule,
steer,
turn the stern: to steer, govern, control, to occupy the seat of government.
to take in hand the stern, to assume the government.
Obs.| 1401 Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 109 Ne were God the giour, and kept the stern,..al schulde wende to wrak. c 1500 Three Kings' Sons 60 Some [shippes]..had neither saile ne maste, nor noman so hardy that durst conduyte the steerne. 1513 Bradshaw St. Werburge ii. 1183 Kynge Edgare kept the storne as most principall, Eche prince had an ore to labour with-all. a 1542 Wyatt Poems, ‘So feeble is the thread’ 83 Those handes..y{supt}..rule the sterne of my pore lyff. 1542 Udall Erasm. Apoph. 6 Fye on hym that would take vpon hym to sitte and holde the stierne in a shyppe, hauyng none experience in y⊇ feate of marinershyp. a 1547 Surrey Poems, ‘Girt in my guiltless gown’ 6 How som to guyd a shyppe in stormes styckes not to take the stearne. 1553 Respublica 278, I shall tell Respublica ye can beste governe: bee not ye than skeymishe to take in hand the stern. a 1568 R. Ascham Scholem. i. (Arb.) 48 The father held the sterne of his whole obedience. 1576 Fleming Panopl. Epist. 152 Wee satt at y⊇ sterne, and had the weale publique in our rule and gouernement. 1577–87 Holinshed Hist. Scot. 356/1 The male line..descended from the women, haue sometime possessed the sterne of Scotland. 1580 Greene Mamillia i. (1583) 6 b, Construe al thinges to the best, turne the stearne the best waye. 1583 Ibid. ii. (1593) D 3, Pilot..if thou hadst no greater cunning in stirring of the stearne. 1591 Shakes. 1 Hen. VI, i. i. 177, I intend to..sit at chiefest Sterne of publique Weal. 1593 Churchyard Challenge 6 In greatest stormes, I stoutly stood to sterne, And turnd about, the shippe to winne the winde. 1604 T. Wright Passions vi. 338 He that guideth by his providence the sterne of mens soules. 1625 Deb. Commons (Camden, 1873) 87 He that was then at the sterne fetch't many sighes before he fetch' it aboute. a 1708 Beveridge Thes. Theol. III. 323 We are in a more special manner to pray for such as sit at the stern, and are in authority. |
2. a. The hind part of a ship or boat (as distinguished from the bow and midships); in restricted sense, the external rear part of a ship's hull; also
spec. in vessels of ordinary type, the overhanging portion of the hull abaft the sternpost. Often in collocation with
stem,
head. Also, the rear part of an aircraft.
| c 1300 K. Horn 935 Þe hondes gonnen at erne In to þe schypes sterne. Ibid. 1412 He comen out of scyp sterne. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 474/2 Sterne, of a schyppe, puppis. 1526 Tindale Mark iv. 38 He was in the sterne a slepe on a pelowe. 1555 Eden Decades (Arb.) 86 Beholdinge the foreshippe & the sterne. 1608 Shakes. Per. iv. i. 64 And with a dropping industrie they skip from sterne to sterne. 1622 R. Hawkins Voy. S. Sea xliv. 104 Our Shippe..coming a-ground in the sterne. 1626 Capt. Smith Accid. Yng. Seamen 8 First lay the Keele, the Stemme, and Starne, in a dry docke. 1773 J. Hawkesworth Cook's 1st Voy. ii. x. III. 462 The ornament at the stern was fixed upon that end, as the stern-post of a ship is upon her keel. 1817 Shelley Revolt Islam ix. ii. 5 The stern and prow Were canopied with blooming boughs. 1835 Sir J. Ross Narr. 2nd Voy. N.-W. Passage v. 59 It would be necessary..to moor the ship both head and stern. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Stern, the after-part of a ship, ending in the taffarel above and the counters below. 1915 Morning Post 9 Dec. 6/6 The Severn was anchored head and stern. 1931, etc. [see stern-post]. 1942 R.A.F. Jrnl. 16 May 17 There is..a turret in the extreme stern. |
| transf. 1878 Stevenson New Arab. Nts. (1882) II. 146 The round stern of a chapel, with a fringe of flying buttresses. |
b. Phrases with preps.:
on stern,
a stern, ? also
stern adv.: see
astern.
at stern,
to stern: behind, in the rear of a ship;
at (the) stern, used of a boat towed behind.
(down) by the stern: see
by A. 9 and
quots. under the stern: under the overhanging part technically called the stern.
| c 1500 Melusine xxxvi. 271 He lefte the Ermayns..at sterne. 1562 J. Shute tr. Cambini's Turk. Wars 34 b, Wherupon they tawed the palandre after them at the storne of some of their galleys. 1574 W. Bourne Regiment for Sea xiv. (1577) 40 b, The one place must be thwart of you, the other must be a head or stern of you. 1616 Capt. Smith Descr. New Eng. 53 This examinate fell on sterne. 1633 T. James Voy. 7 Our long Boate..we were faine to Towe at Sterne. a 1779 Cook 3rd Voy. ii. vi, Towards noon, a large sailing canoe came under our stern. 1806 A. Duncan Life Nelson 70 She might anchor by the stern. 1846 A. Young Naut. Dict. 56 If her stern be lower in the water than her head, she is by the stern. |
c. stern-foremost: backwards, with the stern (senses 2, 3) first; also
fig. stern on: with the stern presented.
| 1840 Marryat Poor Jack xxxi, The man..backs out, stern foremost. 1852 Hawthorne Blithedale Rom. viii, Few of our seeds ever came up at all, or, if they did come up, it was stern-foremost. 1865 Dickens Mut. Fr. i. i, The boat..drove stern foremost before it [the tide]. 1900 Jrnl. Sch. Geog. (U.S.) June 231 [The ship] thus runs..the risk..of getting stern-on to the heavy sea. 1907 ‘Q.’ (Quiller-Couch) Poison Isl. xxv. 244 After a stroke or two I easied and let her back stern-foremost. |
3. (Arising out of a figurative use of sense 2.) The buttocks of a person (chiefly humorous and vulgar) or animal; the hinder part of any creature.
| 1614 B. Jonson Bart. Fair Induct., A Punque set vnder [a pump] vpon her head, with her Sterne vpward. 1830 Marryat King's Own xxvi, When it was a kitten, they had cut off his tail close to its starn. 1836 ― Midsh. Easy xix, I was obliged to come up the side without my trousers, and show my bare stern to the whole ship's company. 1854 Poultry Chron. I. 455 With, in the hens especially, a well⁓rounded stern. 1863 W. C. Baldwin Afr. Hunting vi. 179 Firing from the saddle, and giving the giraffe the ball in the stern. 1869 Furnivall Forewords to Q. Eliz. Acad. p. xxiii, We don't want to..fancy them cherubs without sterns. 1913 Engl. Rev. May 201 [The ducks] point their sterns into the air, and stick their heads under water. |
4. The tail of an animal,
esp. of a sporting-dog or a wolf. Also,
† the fleshy part of a horse's tail;
† the tail feathers of a hawk.
| 1575 Turberv. Faulconrie 190 Fasten a bell upon the two couert feathers of your hawkes Stearne or trayne. 1576 ― Venerie 243 The tayle of a Wolfe is to be called his Stearne. 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. i. 18 Tho wrapping vp her wrethed sterne arownd, Lept fierce vpon his shield, and her huge traine All suddenly about his body wound. 1607 Markham Caval. i. (1617) 27 Others approue a Horses age in this sort: take him with your finger and your thumbe by the sterne of the tayle, close at the setting on of the buttocke. Ibid. ii. 9 His taile long and hairie..the sterne whereof, small and strong, and close coutched betwixt his buttockes. 1618 Chapman Hesiod's Georg. ii. 223 Wilde beasts abhor him, and run clapping close Their stern's betwixt their thighes. 1677 N. Cox Gentl. Recreat. (ed. 2) 149 The benefit of cutting off the tip of a Spaniel's Tail or Stern. 1682 Lond. Gaz. No. 1684/4 Lost..a Fallow Greyhound Bitch, with a white spot at the end of her Sterne. 1725 Bradley's Family Dict. s.v. Entering of Hounds, Some [hounds]..will prick up their Ears a little, and either Bark or wag their Stern or Ear. 1881 V. Shaw Bk. Dog x. 91 The stern or tail [of the Bull-dog]..must be short and very fine. Ibid. xliv. 372 The Stern or Flag [of the Setter]. 1890 S. W. Baker Wild Beasts & Ways II. 317 When he spoke..with stern erect and nose to the ground, there was a general rush by every dog. |
† 5. Used
gen. for: Rear, latter end.
Obs.| 1623 Hexham Tongue-Combat 48 You need not in the sterne of your Discourse recapitulate the notable pieces which you have proued. |
¶ 6. Misused by Stubbes for: An ensign, flag.
| 1583 Stubbes Anat. Abuses i. (1877) 51 An other sort..are content with no kind of Hatt without a great bunche of feathers..peaking on toppe of their heades..as sternes of pride and ensigns of vanitie. Ibid. 68 It [curling etc. of the hair] is the ensigne of Pride, and the stern [v.r. 1595 standerd] of wantonnes to all that behould it. |
7. attrib. (all locative, referring to sense 2) as
stern-anchor,
stern-balcony,
stern-beam,
stern-becket,
stern-davits,
stern deck,
stern-gun,
stern-paddle (also
attrib.),
stern-plate (also
attrib.),
stern-sheave,
stern-sling-bolt,
stern-turret,
stern-window.
| 1633 T. James Voy. 82 Ice..brought home our *Sterne-Anker. |
| 1904 Hardy Dynasts i. ii. ii. 66 White sea-birds, which alight on the *stern-balcony of Villeneuve's ship. |
| 1878 T. L. Cuyler Pointed Papers 45 He lies down to slumber on the *stern-beam of the boat. |
| 1897 Kipling Capt. Cour. ii. 35 He..caught Dan's tackle, hooked it to the *stern⁓becket, and clambered into the schooner. |
| 1863 A. Young Naut. Dict. 389 *Stern-davits, pieces of iron or timber projecting from a vessel's stern to hoist boats up to. |
| 1913 Sir H. Johnston Pioneers Austral. iii. 99 They were received by the king on the *stern deck of a very large prau or native vessel. |
| 1892 Kipling Barrack-room Ballads 137 And the great *stern-gun shot fair and true, With the heave of the ship, to the stainless blue, And the great *stern-turret stuck. |
| 1849 W. S. Mayo Kaloolah vi. (1850) 50 The savage wielding the *stern paddle of the foremost canoe. 1905 A. R. Wallace My Life II. xxxi. 139 We saw one of the old⁓fashioned stern-paddle steamboats. |
| 1890 W. J. Gordon Foundry 70 The tip only of the *stern-plate rivets is heated. |
| 1890 Pall Mall Gaz. 4 Oct. 7/1 It was astonishing to see the..cable..bob under the dynamometer, and up over the *stern-sheave, and finally dive into the water. |
| 1875 Bedford Sailor's Pocket Bk. vi. (ed. 2) 216 Take the tow-line to the after thwart or foremost *stern-sling bolt. |
| 1834 Marryat P. Simple xxxii, Brigs having no *stern-windows, of course she could not see my manœuvre. |
8. Special comb.:
† stern-bearer, a rudder-bearer, ship;
stern-boat, (
a) a boat hanging at a ship's stern; (
b) an attendant boat following astern;
sterndrive [
drive n. 6]
Naut. (chiefly
N. Amer.), an inboard engine connected to an outboard drive unit at the rear of a powerboat;
stern-frame, (
a) the framework of a ship's stern; (
b) (see
quot. 1908);
stern-gallery (see
gallery 2 d);
stern-knee,
= sternson;
stern-ladder (see
quots.);
stern-line,
= sternfast;
stern-locker (see
locker n.1 III.);
stern-notch, a notch cut in the topmost plank of a boat's stern to receive an oar used in sculling or steering;
stern-ornament, (
a) an ornament on a vessel's stern; (
b)
jocularly, the tail of an animal;
stern-piece,
† (
a) a gun mounted in the stern; (
b) a flat piece of wood to which the side planks of a ship or boat are brought, so that it terminates the hull behind;
stern-port, a port or window in the stern of a vessel;
stern-race, a race in which one boat closely follows another without being able to overtake it;
stern-rail, (
a) an ornamental moulding on a ship's stern; (
b) the rail placed about the deck at the stern;
stern-rudder, the rudder at the stern, as distinguished from the
bow-rudder with which some craft are fitted;
stern sea, a sea which beats upon a ship's stern; a following sea;
stern shot, a shot at the buttocks of a fleeing animal;
stern speed, the speed of a vessel travelling stern-foremost with engines reversed;
stern-timber (see
quots.);
stern-trawler, a trawler whose nets are operated from the stern of the vessel;
stern tube, (
a) the tube in which the propeller-shaft works; (
b) a tube fitted in the stern of a warship from which torpedoes are discharged;
stern-wager = stern-race;
stern-walk (see
quot. 1867);
stern-way, the movement of a ship going stern-foremost; also
transf.;
sternways adv., in a position or direction facing to the stern;
stern-works,
jocularly, the buttocks. Also
stern-board, -chase, -chaser, -fast, -man, -post, -sheet, -wheel.
| 1599 Nashe Lenten Stuff 20 In M. Hackluits English discoueries I haue not come in ken of one..mediteranean *sternebearer sente from her [Yarmouth's] Zenith or Meridian. |
| 1837 Carlyle Fr. Rev. II. iv. v, Huge leathern vehicle:—huge Argosy, let us say, or Acapulco-ship; with its heavy *stern-boat of Chaise-and-pair. 1846 A. Young Naut. Dict. 40 The jolly-boat..is very commonly called the stern⁓boat, if hung to davits over the ship's stern. |
| 1968 N.Y. Times 9 Feb. 31 When they appeared on the water about eight years ago, they looked like outboards with the power head sawed off... Variously called *stern drives, inboard-outwards, [etc.] .., they are one of the hottest items in recreational boating. 1976–7 Sea Spray (N.Z.) Dec./Jan. 94/1 ‘Best way to beat the opposition is to join 'em’ would seem to be the philosophy behind a decision by C. W. F. Hamilton Marine Ltd to offer OMC, MerCruiser and Volvo sterndrives through its dealers. |
| 1815 Falconer's Dict. Marine (ed. Burney), *Stern-frame, in ship⁓building, is that frame of timber which is composed of the stern-post-transoms and fashion-pieces. 1880 Times 17 Dec. 5/6 The Persian Monarch..is reported..to be leaking slightly; supposed around the stern frame. 1908 Paasch From Keel to Truck 123 Stern-frame..forming in single⁓screw steamers stern-post, propeller-post, and the connections between them. |
| 1842 Dickens Amer. Notes xi. (1850) 111/1 All this I see as I sit in the little *stern-gallery. |
| 1846 A. Young Naut. Dict. 322 Sternson, or *Stern-knee, a piece of compass timber forming a continuation of a vessel's keelson. |
| 1794 Rigging & Seamanship I. 234 *Stern-ladders are made of cable-laid rope. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Stern-ladder, made of ropes with wooden steps, for getting in and out of the boats astern. |
| 1880 ‘Mark Twain’ Tramp Abroad xvii. 157 Lay her in shore and stand by to jump with the *stern-line the moment she touches. 1898 Jrnl. Sch. Geog. (U.S.) Oct. 306 The vessels..are secured with double bow anchors and usually two stern lines. |
| 1849 Cupples Green Hand xvi. (1856) 159 [The bird] was stowed away..into the *stern⁓locker. |
| 1907 ‘Q.’ (Quiller-Couch) Poison Isl. xxv. 240 Slipping a paddle into the *stern-notch, [I] sculled gently for shore. |
| 1885 Rider Haggard K. Solomon's Mines iii, As though nature had..stuck the *stern ornaments of a lot of prize bulldogs on to the rumps of the oxen. 1908 Paasch From Keel to Truck 98 Stern ornament. |
| 1622 R. Hawkins Voy. S. Sea liii. 127 Our *stearne peeces were vnprimed. 1626 Capt. Smith Accid. Yng. Seamen 19 Giue him your stern peeces. 1895 Outing XXVI. 382/1 Her [the yacht's] stern⁓piece is elliptical. |
| 1591 Ralegh in Last Fight Revenge (Arb.) 19 Besides those of her *Sterne portes. 1834 Marryat P. Simple viii, One of them ere midshipmites has thrown a red hot tater out of the stern-port. 1903 Conrad & Hueffer Romance ii. iv. 83 The stern-ports, glazed in small panes, were black and gleaming in a white framework. |
| 1883 J. Brinsley-Richards Seven Yrs. Eton xi. 106 Ricardo and Campbell were gamely rowing a good *stern-race, but no more. |
| 1846 A. Young Naut. Dict. 322 *Stern-rails,..narrow pieces of projecting plank on which mouldings are raised,—arranged on a vessel's stern and counter in various forms. 1914 Blackw. Mag. Feb. 248/2 The finest sight in all the East—Bombay seen over the stern-rail of a P. & O. steamer. |
| 1889 Welch Text Bk. Naval Archit. xiii. 136 The following remarks..will be confined to *stern rudders and the gear for actuating them. |
| 1745 P. Thomas Jrnl. Anson's Voy. 156 A very great *stern Sea, which staved the Long-boat against the Stern. |
| 1863 W. C. Baldwin Afr. Hunting v. 130 He [the rhinoceros] suddenly made right off, and I had only a *stern shot left me. |
| 1904 Westm. Gaz. 26 Sept. 6/2 For moderate speeds astern a reversing turbine was adequate, but for high *stern speeds a reciprocating engine was preferable. |
| 1797 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3) XVII. 398/2 A curve described through the several points thus set off will be the representative of the *stern timber. 1846 A. Young Naut. Dict. 342 Stern-timbers, a general name given to all the timbers in the stern-frame. |
| 1961 Times 9 Aug. 5/2 A large *stern⁓trawler..has been ordered by J. Marr and Son, of Hull. 1977 Grimsby Even. Tel. 5 May 8/3 A new French stern trawler landed over 1,700 kits of blue ling on Grimsby Fish Docks this week. 1982 Daily Tel. 29 July 2/4 The last modern stern trawler fleet in Britain was being forced into an increasingly nomadic existence. |
| 1883 Clark Russell Sailor's Lang., *Stern-tube, a cylinder in the after peak of a steamer in which the propeller shaft works. 1912 Times 19 Dec. 20/2 Portuguese s. Beira..with propeller shaft port engine broken and stern tube cracked or broken. 1914 C. W. Domville-Fife Submarine in War 144 The submarine might..then fire her stern tubes at close range. |
| 1852 J. F. Bateman Aquatic Notes 74 The Cambridge men..rowed a very plucky *stern-wager. |
| 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., *Stern-walk, the old galleries formerly used to line-of-battle ships. 1893 Daily News 18 July 6/1 Looking out of a stern port into the stern walk. 1915 ‘Bartimeus’ Naval Occas. 161 While under the stern-walk a flock of gulls screeched and quarrelled. |
| 1769 Falconer Dict. Marine (1780) s.v. Aback, The sails..are laid aback,..to give the ship *stern-way. 1865 Daily Tel. 16 Oct. 4/4 The steers⁓men of the public schools perceived that they were making stern-way; the age was overhauling them. 1875 Bedford Sailor's Pocket Bk. vi. 179 Before going alongside a vessel.., observe if she have head or sternway. |
| 1872 Earl of Pembroke & G. H. Kingsley S. Sea Bubbles i. 8 Some [fish]..swimming or floating frontways, *sternways, sideways, with apparently equal ease and partiality. |
| 1879 Stevenson Trav. Cevennes (1886) 17 Plucking a switch out of a thicket, he began to lace Modestine about the *stern⁓works. |
▪ IV. stern, a. (n.4 and adv.) (
stɜːrn)
Forms: α. 1
styrne, 3–5
sturne, 3
stuyrne, 4–5
stuerne, 5
stourne; 4
sturen, 5
sturun; β. 3
Orm. stirne, 5
styrn; 5
stirrun; γ. 2
Kent.
stiarne; δ. 3
steorne, 4–5
steerne,
styerne,
stierne(e,
steirne; 4–5
steren(e,
-in,
-yn(e,
-ynne; 6
stearne, 3–7
sterne, 4–
stern.
[OE. (WS.) styrne, earlier *stierne evidenced by stiernl{iacu}ce; see sternly adv. The ME. forms, particularly Ormin's stirne (cf. hirde from Anglian hiorde), point to an OTeut. type *sternjo-, which is represented only in English. The Indogermanic root
*ster-:
*stor- is represented in several words with the sense ‘hard, rigid,’ or the like,
e.g. Gr. στερεός solid, G.
starr stiff, rigid;
cf. stare v.]
A. adj. 1. Of persons and things personified, their dispositions and temper: Severe, strict, inflexible; rigorous in punishment or condemnation; not inclined to leniency.
| a 1000 Cædmon's Gen. (Gr.) 60 Hæfde styrne mod ᵹegremod grymme. a 1122 O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1070, He wæs swiðe styrne man. a 1225 Ancr. R. 268 Rihtwisnesse, he seið, mot beon nede sturne. Ibid. 366 Ase þe moder þet is reouðful deð hire bitweonen hire childe & þe wroðe sturne ueder, hwon he wule beaten. 1340 Ayenb. 130 Þou sselt uinde þane domes man zuo sterne and zuo stout and zuo strayt an zuo miȝtuol. c 1386 Chaucer Pars. T. 170 Then shal the stierne and wrothe Iuge sitte aboue. c 1475 Partenay 5730 Both stourne men & meke. 1607 Shakes. Cor. iv. i. 24 My (sometime) Generall, I haue seene the sterne. 1776 Gibbon Decl. & Fall xiv. I. 401 The stern temper of Galerius was cast in a very different mould; and while he commanded the esteem of his subjects, he seldom condescended to solicit their affections. 1781 Cowper Conversat. 850 As stern Elijah said of old. 1841 W. Spalding Italy & Ital. Isl. II. 341 A characteristic likeness of the stern, ambitious, military old bishop. |
| absol. 1820 Shelley Prometh. Unb. i. i. 537 The spell Which must bend the Invincible, The stern of thought. 1850 Tennyson In Mem. cx. 9 The stern were mild when thou wert by. |
b. Const.
with,
to,
towards. (
OE. dative.)
| a 1023 Wulfstan Hom. (1883) 267/1 And æᵹðer he sceal beon mid rihte ᵹe milde ᵹe reðe, milde þam godum and styrne þam yfelum. c 1205 Lay. 3228 Hire fader hire wes sturne. Ibid. 6586 Wið þa goden he wes duhti and sturne [c 1275 sterne] wið þa dusie. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 4951 King cadwal to him to sturne verst nas. a 1547 Surrey æneis ii. C ij b, Achilles was to Priam not so stern. 1847 Prescott Peru (1850) II. 72 He was..towards his own people stern even to severity. 1900 New Cent. Rev. VII. 401 They have to be stern with applicants who have grown up under a lax system. |
c. Rigorous in morals or principles; uncompromising, austere.
| c 1374 Chaucer Boeth. ii. met. vii. (1868) 60 What is now brutus or stiern Caton [L. rigidus Cato]? 1703 Rowe Ulyss. iv. i. 1438 Honour stern, impatient of Neglect. 1742 Blair Grave 538 The supple Statesman, and the Patriot stern. a 1835 Hogg Tales & Sk. (1837) VI. 12 Lord Nithsdale, who was a stern Catholic. 1837 Wordsw. Cuckoo at Laverna 34 A few Monks, a stern society, Dead to the world and scorning earth-born joys. 1911 Contemp. Rev. May 577 He was a stern moralist. |
d. Of personal attributes, actions, utterances, feelings, etc.: Severe, strict, hard, grim, harsh.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 428 Uor swuch ouh wummone lore to beon—luuelich & liðe, and seldhwonne sturne. c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 434 Not for his lordship ne his sterne power. 1687 Dryden Hind & P. ii. 506 But when the stern conditions were declar'd, A mournful whisper through the host was heard. 1777 Potter æschylus, Prometh. Chain'd 14 Is there a god, whose sullen soul Feels a stern joy in thy despair? 1814 Wordsw. Laodamia 55 But thou, though capable of sternest deed, Wert kind as resolute. 1820 W. Irving Sketch Bk. I. 143 Even his enemies lamented the stern policy that dictated his execution. 1856 Kane Arctic Expl. II. viii. 90 Desertion, or the attempt to desert, shall be met at once by the sternest penalty. 1892 Verney Mem. I. 343 The stern solemnity of the speakers. |
† 2. Resolute in battle, steadfast, fiercely brave, bold.
Obs.| c 1205 Lay. 31471 Ah Oswi wes cniht sturne. a 1300 K. Horn 877 (Camb. MS.) Þe paens þat er were so sturne, Hi gunne awei vrne. c 1350 Will. Palerne 3409 A ful breme bataile bi-gan þat ilk time, Whan eþer sides a-sembled of þo segges sturne. ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 157 Take kepe to thoos lordez, To styghtylle tha steryne mene as theire statte askys. c 1400 Destr. Troy 3960 Polidamas..A full strong man in stoure, sturnyst in Armys. c 1450 Holland Howlat 652 Thar was..Stanchalis, steropis strecht to thai stern lordis. |
b. Of battle, debate and the like: Stubbornly-contested, fierce, hard.
| c 1205 Lay. 20774 Þer gode cnihtes cumeð to sturne fihte. c 1395 Plowman's Tale 1 in Polit. Poems (Rolls) I. 304 A sterne strife is stirred newe. 1422 Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. 174 Steryn battaill he yaue. 1579 Spenser Sheph. Cal. Feb. 149 Stirring vp sterne strife. 1607 Chapman Bussy d'Ambois ii. i. 32 His friends and enemies; whose stern fight I saw. 1777 Potter æschylus, Prometh. Chained 16 When stern debate amongst the gods appear'd And discord in the courts of heav'n was rous'd. 1876 Blackie Songs Relig. 182, I must go and do stern battle With herds of stiff⁓necked human cattle. |
c. In alliterative verse and phrases, often with sense weakened, or influenced by the words with which it is coupled; as
† stern on steed,
† stern in steel,
† stern in stour;
† stern of slate, high in rank;
† stern and stout;
† a stern steed, a fiery steed.
| c 1300 Leg. Gregory (Schulz) 883 Þe housbond was stern and stout. 13.. Sir Beues 4500 He armede him in yrene wede And lep vpon a sterne stede. 1340–70 Alex. & Dind. 429 Non is sternere of stat ne stouter þan oþir. c 1386 Chaucer Knt.'s T. 1296 Armed ful wel, with hertes stierne and stoute. ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 3872 He was the sterynneste in stoure that euer stele werryde. c 1400 Aunturs of Arth. 391 (Thornton MS.) In stele was he stuffede, þat steryne was one stede. c 1420 Avow. Arth. xii, He had drede, and doute, Of him that was stirrun, and stowte. a 1500–20 Dunbar Poems xxvii. 81 He went agane to bene bespewit, So stern he wes in steill. 1576 Gascoigne Philomene Wks. 1910 II. 194 Or if (quoth she) there bee Some other meane more sure, More stearne, more stoute, than naked sword. |
† 3. In a bad sense: Merciless, cruel.
Obs.| c 1205 Lay. 25840 He wende to finden þene feond sturne. c 1290 St. Kenelm 202 in S. Eng. Leg. 351 And bi-cam stuyrne and bi-ladde hire men harde with muche wrech-hede. c 1374 Chaucer Troylus iv. 94 O sterne and cruwel fader þat I was. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) III. 71 For drede of lyouns þat were cruel and sterne. c 1400 Brut xxx. 29 Artogaile..bicome so wickede and so sterne, þat þe Britons wolde nouȝt suffre hym to bene kyng. 1555 W. Watreman Fardle Facions i. iii. 35 Thei ware sterne, and vnruly, and bruteshely liued. 1590 Shakes. Mids. N. iii. ii. 59 Pierst through the heart with your stearne cruelty. 1593 ― 2 Hen. VI, iii. ii. 213 Thy Mother tooke into her blamefull Bed Some sterne vntutur'd Churle. 1600 ― Sonn. xcvi, How many Lambs might the sterne Wolfe betray. |
4. Of looks, bearing, gait: Indicating a stern disposition or mood; expressing grave displeasure; resolute, austere, gloomy.
| 1390 Gower Conf. III. 289 The king declareth him the cas With sturne lok and sturdi chiere. 1400–20 Lydg. Thebes 2118 And in despit who that was lief or loth, A sterne pas thorgh the halle he goth. c 1470 Gol. & Gaw. 616 On twa stedis thai straid, with ane sterne schiere. 1581 A. Hall Iliad vii. 127 His countenaunce stout, his sterne martch, when they saw in such sort,..they doe beginne to ioye. 1591 Lodge Catharos B 1 b, The still streame is deepest, & the stearne looke doublest. 1600 Shakes. A.Y.L. iv. iii. 9 As I guesse By the sterne brow and waspish action..It beares an angry tenure. 1634 Milton Comus 446 Gods and men Fear'd her stern frown. 1770 Goldsm. Des. Vill. 197 A man severe he was, and stern to view. 1818 Shelley Rosal. & Helen 330 With the stern step of vanquished will. 1881 M. E. Herbert Edith i. 18 Graver and sterner grew Mr. Gordon's face. 1890 Doyle White Company vi, The soldier stood in front of them with stern eyes, checking off their several packages. |
† b. Terrible or threatening in aspect.
Obs.| c 1205 Lay. 17873 Com of þan steore a leome swiðe sturne. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 474/2 Sterne, or dredeful in syghte, terribilis, horribilis. c 1450 Merlin iii. 43 He come to hem like a begger,..and hadde a grym berde and steirne loke. 1573 Baret Alv. S. 758 Sterne, cruell & sturdie in lookes, grimme, terrible, fell, toruus. |
c. transf. Of a building: Severe in style; gloomy or forbidding in aspect.
Cf. 7.
| 1822 Scott Peveril xxxvi, Julian, who was led along the same stern passages which he had traversed upon his entrance, to the gate of the prison. 1833 Wordsw. Lowther 3 Lowther! in thy majestic Pile are seen Cathedral pomp and grace, in apt accord With the baronial castle's sterner mien. 1871 Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) IV. xix. 395 Paul..reared the vastest and sternest temple of his age. |
5. Of the voice: Expressive of a stern disposition or mood. (
Cf. 6 c.)
| c 1330 Spec. Gy de Warw. 446 Wid sterne voiz and wid heie. a 1400–50 Wars Alex. 611 His steuen stiffe was [and] steryn þat stonayd many. 1817 Scott Harold ii. vii, Stern accents made his pleasure known, Though then he used his gentlest tone. 1820 ― Monast. xix, Father Eustace..addressing Halbert in a stern and severe voice. |
6. Of things, in various transferred uses.
† a. Of blows, weapons: Inflicting severe pain or injury.
Obs.| c 1025 in Napier OE. Glosses 56/112 Asperis (uerberibus seu liuidis), styr[num] vel tear[tum]. a 1175 Cott. Hom. 231 Mid gode repples and stiarne swepen. Ibid. 239 Þe wereȝede gastes þe hine uniredlice underfangeð mid stiarne swupen. a 1400 Leg. Rood 184 Þe hamur bothe sterne and gret þe drof þe nayles þorow hond and fete. 1615 Chapman Odyss. xiv. 375 About whom Mischiefe stood And with his stern steele, drew in streames the blood. 1805 Scott Last Minstr. iii. vi, Stern was the dint The Borderer lent! |
b. Of grief or pain: Oppressive, hard to bear.
| c 1300 Leg. Gregory (Schulz) 174 Hir sorwe was strong and sterne. 1811 Shelley Bereav. 1 How stern are the woes of the desolate mourner. |
† c. Of sound: Harsh, menacing (
cf. 5).
Obs.| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 1402 Sturnen [? read sturne] trumpen strake steuen in halle. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 113 A trompe with a sterne breth, Which cleped was the Trompe of death. |
† d. Of the weather: Severe, causing hardship.
| c 1449 Pecock Repr. ii. ii. 146 To couere him fro reyne and fro othir sturne wedris. 1605 Shakes. Lear iii. vii. 63 If Wolues had at thy Gate howl'd that stern time, Thou should'st haue said, good Porter turne the Key. c 1611 Chapman Iliad xxiv. 332 In this so sterne a Time Of night, and danger. |
† e. Of a stream, a wind: Strong, violent.
Obs.| 13.. Guy Warw. 5840 He com to a water sterne. c 1374 Chaucer Troylus iii. 743 The sterne wynd so lowde gan to route That no wight oþer noyse myghte here. 1426 Lydg. De Guil. Pilgr. 55 Lyk a Ryuer sterne, and of gret myght, He restyth nat nouther day nor nyght. |
† f. Formidable in bulk, massive.
Obs.| 13.. Gaw & Gr. Knt. 143 For of bak & of brest al were his bodi sturne, Bot his wombe & his wast were worthily smale. c 1394 P. Pl. Crede 214 And all strong ston wall sterne opon heiþe. |
7. Of a country, or its physical features, the soil, etc. (with
fig. notion of senses 1 and 4): Unkindly, inhospitable; destitute of amenity; forbidding in aspect, frowning, gloomy.
| 1812 Byron Ch. Har. ii. xlii, Stern Albania's hills. 1814 Wordsw. Excurs. ii. 92 Mountains stern and desolate. 1836 W. Irving Astoria I. vii. 116 The Tonquin ploughed her course towards the sterner regions of the Pacific. 1869 H. F. Tozer Highl. Turkey I. 196 The wild stern regions of European Turkey. 1884 Princess Alice Mem. 5 The sterner scenery of the Scotch Highlands. a 1894 Stevenson In South Seas ii. ii. (1900) 154 The coco-palm in particular luxuriates in that stern solum. |
8. Of circumstances and conditions, oppressive, compelling, hard, inexorable;
esp. in the phrases
stern necessity,
stern reality.
| 1830 Carlyle Richter Again Ess. 1840 II. 309 Poverty of a sterner sort than this would have been a light matter to him. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. vii. II. 193 The great enterprise to which a stern necessity afterwards drove him. 1854 Poultry Chron. I. 92 It is useless to deny the stern fact, that [etc.]. 1856 Froude Hist. Eng. (1858) II. vii. 174 The times were too stern to admit of nice distinctions. 1912 Standard 20 Sept. 7/3 This is no flight of imagination; it is stern reality. |
9. Comb. a. parasynthetic formations, as
stern-browed,
stern-eyed,
stern-faced,
stern-featured,
stern-gated,
stern-lipped,
stern-visaged adjs.;
b. complemental, as
stern-born,
stern-issuing,
stern-looking,
stern-sounding adjs.| 1594 Kyd Cornelia iv. i. 167 Braue Romaine Soldiers, sterne-borne sons of Mars. 1597 Drayton Heroical Ep., Mortimer to Q. Isab. 87 And we will turne sterne-visag'd Furie backe. 1648 J. Beaumont Psyche xvii. xlvi, The bold impetuousness Of stern-fac'd Mamalukes. 1725 Pope Odyss. viii. 564 He sung the Greeks stern-issuing from the steed. 1776 Mickle Lusiad iii. (1778) 99 The stern-brow'd tyrant roars and tears the ground. 1787 Polwhele Engl. Orator ii. 4 A Warrior-Brood Stern-featur'd. 1825 J. Neal Bro. Jonathan I. 151 Six evangelical, stern-looking men. 1837 Carlyle Fr. Rev. II. vi. iii, They roll through the streets, with stern-sounding music. 1870 Bryant Iliad xx. 50 Vulcan..Strong and stern-eyed. a 1900 S. Crane Gt. Battles (1901) 206 That curious stern-lipped stupidity. |
† B. n. In alliterative verse: A stern or bold man.
Obs.| 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 214 Þe stele of a stif staf þe sturne hit bi-grypte. c 1400 Destr. Troy 567 Ye may strive with no stuerne but of your strength nobill. c 1400 Aunturs of Arth. 532 (Douce MS.) Þe sturne strikes one stray. c 1470 Gol. & Gaw. 19 Mony sterne our the streit stertis on stray. |
C. adv. or
quasi-adv. Sternly, resolutely, severely, harshly.
| a 1175 Cott. Hom. 231 Ȝief he fend were, me sceolden anon eter [= et þer] gat ȝemete..and stiarne hine besie. c 1200 Ormin 15514 He þratte stirne wind o sæ & itt warrþ stille & liþe. c 1250 Owl & Night. 112 Þe faukun..lude yal and sturne chidde. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xv. 248 Noyther he..Lakketh, ne loseth ne loketh vp sterne. c 1450 Mirk's Festial 300 God lokud so sterne on hym. 1581 A. Hall Iliad i. 12 Thereby displeasing Agamemn, himselfe so gloriously And sterne who beares. 16.. in Peasants' Rising (1899) 49 The said maior beareth him so sterne and hawty. 1637 Milton Lycidas 112 He shook his Miter'd locks, and stern bespake. |
| Comb. 1727 Broome Poems 223 The dreadful Brotherhood stern-frowning stands. 1912 Contemp. Rev. Nov. 688 His stern-set, deep-lined mouth. |
▪ V. stern, v.1 (
stɜːn)
[f. stern n.3; cf. ON. stjórna.] † 1. trans. and intr. To steer, govern.
Obs.| 14.. Lat.-Eng. Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 605/27 Proreto, to sterne or to stere out. 1577–86 Stanyhurst Descr. Irel. iii. 26/1 in Holinshed, A castell..which is a notable marke for pilots, in directing them which waie to sterne their ships. 1615 I. Bargrave Serm. E 2, There was need of a skilfull pilot to rule and sterne the ship of State. 1648 Royalist's Def. 86 Suppose three single persons had jointly the Soveraigne power of government, no man can imagine, but that they would..sterne severall wayes. |
2. trans. To propel a boat stern foremost; also
intr. to go stern foremost.
In this sense developed from the whaling term
stern all, the order to back off after an harpoon has been entered, where
stern originally
= astern.
| [1823 J. F. Cooper Pilot xvii, ‘Starn all!’ ‘Stern all!’ echoed Barnstable. Ibid., ‘Starn off, sir, starn off! the creater's in his flurry.’] 1845 J. Coulter Aav. Pacific vii. 86 In I darted both irons with all my force—‘stern all—and stern they did quickly enough. 1892 F. M. Crawford Childr. King (1893) I. 70 The dingy came rapidly back and the sailor sterned her to the rock for the boys to get in. 1904 F. T. Bullen Creatures of Sea xix. 270 He [the swordfish] sterns clear, describes a great circle and..again buries his weapon deep in its vitals. |
3. To place astern, in the phrase
stern the buoy (see
quot.).
| 1711 Milit. & Sea Dict. s.v. Buoy, Stern the Buoy; that is, before they let the Anchor fall, whilst the Ship has Way, they put the Buoy into the Water, so that the Buoy-Rope may be stretch'd out strait, that so the Anchor may fall clear from entangling it self with the Buoy-Rope. |
4. To cut off the tail of (a dog); see
stern n.3 4.
| 1858 Lewis in Youatt's Dog (N.Y.) v. 170 The often absurd fancy of cropping and sterning dogs. |
Hence
† ˈsterning vbl. n. steering, guidance. Also
† ˈsterner, pilot, director.
| a 1634 R. Clerke Serm. ii. (1637) 15 He that is Regens Sidera,..the Sterner of the Starres. 1638 R. Baker tr. Balzac's Lett. (vol. III.) 230, I leave you liberty..to saile with the wind. Nothing but good success can be expected from your sterning. |
▪ VI. † stern, v.2 Obs. rare—1.
[app. ad. L. sternĕre.] trans. To cast down.
| 1599 A. Hume Poems ii. 168 All things beneth the voult of heuin are sterned vnder feit. |
▪ VII. stern, v.3 rare—1.
[f. stern a.] trans. To make stern.
| 1722 W. Hamilton Wallace 77 Wallace stern'd his Brow and cry'd My Life alone shall the long Strife decide. |