sterling
UK /ˈstɜːlɪŋ/ · US /ˈstɜɹlɪŋ/ noun, adjective, proper noun
Also a form of starling
Forms sterlings
- noun (countable, obsolete except historical) An English silver penny first introduced by the Normans.
- noun (countable) A penny issued in other countries, such as Scotland.
- noun (uncountable) The currency of the United Kingdom, also called the pound sterling
- noun (uncountable, historical) Former British gold or silver coinage of a standard fineness (0.91666 for gold and 0.925 for silver).
- noun (countable) Synonym of pennyweight (“a unit of mass equal to 24 grains, or ¹⁄₂₀ of a troy ounce”)
- noun (uncountable) Money generally.
- noun (uncountable) The standard degree of fineness.
- adjective Of or relating to the currency of the United Kingdom, or former types of English or British coinage.
- adjective Of silver: being of standard quality.
- adjective Of a thing: of or relating to, or made from, sterling silver.
- adjective (archaic) Of English (or (obsolete) Scottish) currency: genuine, of legal tender.
- adjective Of acknowledged influence; authoritative; also, of high or excellent quality; of proven worth.
- adjective (obsolete) Having currency (“general acceptance, recognition, or use”).
- proper noun A Scottish surname, variant of Stirling.
- proper noun An English surname, thought to be a variant of Starling.
- proper noun A unisex given name transferred from the surname.
- proper noun A census-designated place in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska.
- proper noun A city, the county seat of Logan County, Colorado.
- proper noun A town in Windham County, Connecticut.
- proper noun A census-designated place in Glynn County, Georgia.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English sterling, possibly from Old English *steorling, from steorra (“star”) and -ling, in reference to the stars that appeared on certain English pennies. Alternatively, the first element may be *stēre, meaning “strong” or “stout” (compare the etymology of solidus).
See starling (etymology 1).
See starling (etymology 2).
See Stirling.
Webster’s 1913
- noun Same as Starling, 3.
- noun Any English coin of standard value; coined money.
- noun A certain standard of quality or value for money.
- adjective Belonging to, or relating to, the standard British money of account, or the British coinage; as, a pound sterling; a shilling sterling; a penny sterling; --now chiefly applied to the lawful money of England; but sterling cost, sterling value, are used. "With sterling money." Shak.
Etymology [OE. sterlynge, starling, for easterling, LL. esterlingus, probably from Easterling, once the popular name of German trades in England, whose money was of the purest quality: cf. MHG. sterlink a certain coin. Cf. East. "Certain merchants of Norwaie, Denmarke, and of others those parties, called Ostomanni, or (as in our vulgar language we tearme them), easterlings, because they lie east in respect of us." Holinshed. "In the time of . . . King Richard the First, monie coined in the east parts of Germanie began to be of especiall request in England for the puritie thereof, and was called Easterling monie, as all inhabitants of those parts were called Easterlings, and shortly after some of that countrie, skillful in mint matters and allaies, were sent for into this realme to bring the coine to perfection; which since that time was called of them sterling, for Easterling." Camden. "Four thousand pound of sterlings." R. of Gloucester.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “sterling”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details