sterling

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈstɜː.lɪŋ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈstɝ.lɪŋ/

• Audio (Southern England):

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• Audio (General American):

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• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)lɪŋ
• Homophone: Stirling

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).

sterling (countable and uncountable, plural sterlings)

1. (historical) A silver penny.
   • 1911, Charles G. Herbermann et al., editors, The Catholic Encyclopedia‎^[1], volume 11, page 155:

     In England sterlings and nobles were struck, both of them often counterfeited.

2. The currency of the United Kingdom, based on the pound sterling.
   • 1904–1905, Baroness Orczy [i.e., Emma Orczy], “Who Stole the Black Diamonds ?”, in The Case of Miss Elliott, London: T[homas] Fisher Unwin, published 1905, →OCLC; republished as popular edition, London: Greening & Co., 1909, OCLC 11192831, quoted in The Case of Miss Elliott (ebook no. 2000141h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg of Australia, February 2020:

     “… among the objects stolen was the famous parure of Black Diamonds, for which a bid of half a million sterling had just been made and accepted. […]”

3. Former British gold or silver coinage of a standard fineness: for gold 0.91666 and for silver 0.925.
   • 1793, Stephen Martin Leake, An Historical Account of English Money from the Conquest to the Present Time:

     Sterling was the known and approved standard in England, in all probability, from the beginning of King Henry the Second's reign.

4. Sterling silver, or articles made from this material.

sterling (comparative more sterling, superlative most sterling)

1. (not comparable) Of, or relating to British currency, or the former British coinage.
2. (not comparable) Of, relating to, or made from sterling silver.
3. Of acknowledged worth or influence; high quality; authoritative.
   • 1896, A. E. Housman, “Terence, this is stupid stuff”, in A Shropshire Lad:

     Then the world seemed none so bad / And I myself a sterling lad

   • 2014 December 13, Mandeep Sanghera, “Burnley 1-0 Southampton”, in BBC Sport‎^[2]:

     Southampton had been hoping to get back to winning ways to prove to their critics there was substance to their sterling start to the season.

4. Genuine; true; pure; of great value or excellence.
   • 1861, Anthony Trollope, Framley Parsonage:

     I have said that Mr. Crawley was a stern, unpleasant man; and it certainly was so. The man must be made of very sterling stuff, whom continued and undeserved misfortune does not make unpleasant.

   • 2016 January 31, “Is Huma Abedin Hillary Clinton’s Secret Weapon or Her Next Big Problem?”, in Vanity Fair, retrieved 21 January 2016:

     But Rodríguez says, “Neither the law nor the facts support Senator Grassley’s baseless allegations and extrapolated conclusions. It is disappointing that the senator and his staff continue to focus a politically motivated campaign on Ms. Abedin, who has been known her entire professional life for hard work, integrity, and her sterling reputation. It is people like Ms. Abedin whom we should all want in public service.”

   • 2021 October 6, Greg Morse, “A need for speed and the drive for 125”, in RAIL, number 941, page 53:

     HSTs continued to provide sterling service during these years, so much so that when Virgin and Midland Mainline brought their new wave of high-speed diesel electric multiple units [...] on stream, many preferred the ride and comfort of the vanquished to the ride and comfort of the vanquisher.

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

sterling (plural sterlings)

1. A structure of pilings that protects the piers of a bridge; a starling.
   • 1927, Henry Williamson, Tarka the Otter:

     The bubbles ended in another swirl by a weed-fringed sterling, and a delicate swift water-arrow shot away between the two piers of the middle arch […]

• Giltners, Tinglers, glistren, ringlets, tinglers, tringles

Borrowed from English sterling, from Middle English sterling, sterlinge, sterlynge, starling.

• IPA^(key): /ˈstɛr.liŋk/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛrliŋk
• Syllabification: ster‧ling

sterling m animal

1. alternative form of szterling

   Synonyms: funt, funt sterling, funt szterling, szterling

• sterling in Polish dictionaries at PWN