sternly

Variant of stern

stern definition

stern (stʉrn)

adjective

  1. hard; severe; unyielding; strict stern measures
  2. grim; forbidding a stern face
  3. relentless; inexorable stern reality
  4. unshakable; firm stern determination

Etymology: ME sterne < OE styrne < IE base *ster-, stiff, rigid > stare, starve

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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