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Stern

 - 14 dictionary results

stern

1  [sturn] ,
Use Stern in a Sentence
–adjective, -er, -est.
1. firm, strict, or uncompromising: stern discipline.
2. hard, harsh, or severe: a stern reprimand.
3. rigorous or austere; of an unpleasantly serious character: stern times.
4. grim or forbidding in aspect: a stern face.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME; OE styrne

Related forms:
sternly, adverb
sternness, noun

Synonyms:
1, 2. adamant, unrelenting, unsympathetic, cruel, unfeeling. Stern, severe, harsh agree in referring to methods, aspects, manners, or facial expressions. Stern implies uncompromising, inflexible firmness, and sometimes a hard, forbidding, or withdrawn aspect or nature: a stern parent. Severe implies strictness, lack of sympathy, and a tendency to impose a hard discipline on others: a severe judge. Harsh suggests a great severity and roughness, and cruel, unfeeling treatment of others: a harsh critic.

Antonyms:
1. lenient.

stern

2  [sturn] ,
–noun
1. the after part of a vessel (often opposed to stem).
2. the back or rear of anything.
3. (initial capital letter) Astronomy. the constellation Puppis.
4. Fox Hunting. the tail of a hound.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME sterne, prob. < ON stjōrn steering (done aft; see sternpost )

Stern

  [sturn] ,
–noun
1. Isaac, 1920–2001, U.S. violinist, born in Russia.
2. Otto, 1888–1969, U.S. physicist, born in Germany: Nobel prize 1943.

stern-

 
var. of sterno- before a vowel: sternite.

sterno-

 
a combining form representing sternum in compound words: sternocostal.
Also, especially before a vowel, stern-.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Stern
stern 1   (stûrn)   
adj.   stern·er, stern·est

  1. Hard, harsh, or severe in manner or character: a stern disciplinarian. See Synonyms at severe.

  2. Grim, gloomy, or forbidding in appearance or outlook.

  3. Firm or unyielding; uncompromising.

  4. Inexorable; relentless: stern necessity.


[Middle English sterne, from Old English styrne; see ster-1 in Indo-European roots.]
stern'ly adv., stern'ness n.
stern 2   (stûrn)   
n.  

  1. Nautical The rear part of a ship or boat.

  2. A rear part or section.


[Middle English sterne, perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse stjōrn, rudder; see stā- in Indo-European roots.]
Stern   (stûrn)   
Russian-born American violinist who is considered among the great 20th-century virtuosos.
Stern, Otto 1888-1969.  
German-born American physicist. He won a 1943 Nobel Prize for detecting the magnetic movements of atomic particles.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
stern

  1. n.
    the posterior; buttocks. : The little airplane crashed right into the stern of an enormous lady who didn't even notice.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

stern  (adj.)
O.E. styrne "severe, strict," from P.Gmc. *sternijaz (cf. M.H.G. sterre, Ger. starr "stiff," störrig "obstinate;" Goth. andstaurran "to be stiff;" O.N. stara; O.E. starian "to look or gaze upon"), from PIE base *ster-, *star- "be rigid" (see sterile).

stern  (n.)
c.1300, "hind part of a ship, steering gear of a ship," probably from O.N. stjorn "a steering," related to styra "to guide" (see steer (v.)). Or the word may come from O.Fris. stiarne "rudder," which is also related to steer (v.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

sterno- or stern-
pref.
Sternum: sternocostal.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Idioms & Phrases

stern

see from soup to nuts (stem to stern).

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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