Stern Definition

stûrn

sternest, sterner

adjective

sternest, sterner

Hard; severe; unyielding; strict.

Stern measures.

Webster's New World

Showing or expressing displeasure or disapproval; forbidding or harsh.

A stern face; a stern voice.

American Heritage

Grim; forbidding.

A stern face.

Webster's New World

Relentless; inexorable.

Stern reality.

Webster's New World

Unshakable; firm.

Stern determination.

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

noun

The rear end of a ship or boat.

Webster's New World

The rear end of anything.

Webster's New World

(figuratively) The post of management or direction.

Wiktionary

The tail of an animal; now used only of the tail of a dog.

Wiktionary

A bird, the black tern.

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

Other Word Forms of Stern

Singular:

stern

Plural:

sterns

Base Form:

stern

Comparative:

Superlative:

sternest

From Middle English stern, sterne, sturne, from Old English styrne (“stern, grave, strict, austere, hard, severe, cruel"), from Proto-Germanic *sturnijaz (“angry, astonished, shocked"), from Proto-Indo-European *ster-, *ter- (“rigid, stiff"). Cognate with Scots stern (“bold, courageous, fierce, resolute"), Old High German stornÄ“n (“to be astonished"), Dutch stuurs (“glum, austere"), Swedish stursk (“insolent").

From Wiktionary
Most likely from Old Norse stjórn (“control, steering"), related to stýra (“to steer"), from Proto-Germanic *stiurijanÄ…, whence also English steer. Also possibly from Old Frisian stiarne (“rudder"), from the same Germanic root.

From Wiktionary
Middle English sterne perhaps of Scandinavian origin Old Norse stjōrn rudder stā- in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Middle English sterne from Old English styrne ster-¹ in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Old English

From Wiktionary