Sterling meaning

stûr'lĭng
The definition of sterling is something made of at least 92.5% pure silver, or something of very high quality.

An example of sterling are sterling silver earrings.

An example of sterling is a high quality reputation; a sterling reputation.

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Sterling is a group of articles made of sterling silver, or British money that is at least 50% silver or 91.666% gold.

An example of sterling is a collection of sterling silver serving pieces.

An example of sterling is an English silver coin worth one penny.

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British money, especially the pound as the basic unit of currency of the United Kingdom.
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British coinage of silver or gold, having as a standard of fineness 0.500 for silver and 0.91666 for gold.
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Consisting of or relating to sterling or British money.
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Made of sterling silver.

A sterling teaspoon.

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Of the highest quality.

A person of sterling character.

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An early English silver penny: a pound weight of these pennies was later standardized as a money of account.
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English money having the fineness of quality of the standard silver penny.
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Sterling silver or articles made of it.
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The standard of fineness of legal British coinage: for silver, 0.500; for gold, 0.91666
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British money.
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Of standard quality; specif., designating a silver alloy that is at least 92.5 percent pure silver.
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Of or payable in British money.
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Made of sterling silver.
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Of genuinely high quality; excellent.

Sterling principles.

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Another term for the U.K. currency, the British pound. The symbol for sterling is £.
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A Scottish surname, variant of Stirling.
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An English surname, thought to be a variant of Starling.
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A male given name transferred from the surnames.
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Origin of sterling

  • Middle English silver penny possibly sterre star star -ling diminutive suff. (from the small star stamped on the coin) –ling1
    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

Sterling Sentence Examples

  • A sum of 20 millions sterling was voted as compensation to the planters.

  • It was the general disaster produced by the speculative policy of his former guardians which first called forth his sterling qualities and hardened him into a premature manhood.

  • There is a trade with China, valued at less than half a million sterling annually.

  • When Shuja-ud-Dowlah died he left two million pounds sterling buried in the vaults of the zenana.

  • In such cases the immediate damage done may be slight; but the effects of prolonged action and the summation of numerous attacks at numerous points are often enormotis, certain of these leafdiseases costing millions sterling annually to some planting and agricultural communities.

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Also Mentioned In

Words near sterling in the Dictionary