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stern
1[ sturn ]
adjective
- firm, strict, or uncompromising:
stern discipline.
Synonyms: , , , ,
Antonyms:
- hard, harsh, or severe:
a stern reprimand.
Synonyms: , , , ,
- rigorous or austere; of an unpleasantly serious character:
stern times.
- grim or forbidding in aspect:
a stern face.
stern
2[ sturn ]
noun
- the after or rear part of a vessel (often opposed to bow or stem ):
The ship's stern was a glory of brightly painted carved figures of knights and mythical beasts.
- the back or rear of anything.
- Stern, Astronomy. the constellation Puppis.
- Fox Hunting. the tail of a hound.
verb (used with or without object)
- to be the person paddling, steering, working, etc., at the rear of (a vessel):
When you're bird-watching, it's much better to be paddling up front than sterning the canoe.
- to propel or steer (a vessel) with the after or rear part leading:
We pulled up to the dock 15 minutes later and managed to stern in before dark.
Stern
3[ sturn ]
noun
- Isaac, 1920–2001, U.S. violinist, born in Russia.
- Otto, 1888–1969, U.S. physicist, born in Germany: Nobel Prize 1943.
stern-
4- variant of sterno- before a vowel:
sternite.
Stern
1/ ɜː /
noun
- SternIsaac19202001MUSRussianMUSIC: concert violinist Isaac. 1920–2001, US concert violinist, born in (what is now) Ukraine
stern
2/ ɜː /
adjective
- showing uncompromising or inflexible resolve; firm, strict, or authoritarian
- lacking leniency or clemency; harsh or severe
- relentless; unyielding
the stern demands of parenthood
- having an austere or forbidding appearance or nature
stern
3/ ɜː /
noun
- the rear or after part of a vessel, opposite the bow or stem
- the rear part of any object
- the tail of certain breeds of dog, such as the foxhound or beagle
adjective
- relating to or located at the stern
Derived Forms
- ˈٱԲԱ, noun
- ˈٱԱ, adverb
Other Word Forms
- ٱ· adverb
- ٱ·Ա noun
Word History and Origins
Origin of stern1
Word History and Origins
Origin of stern1
Origin of stern2
Idioms and Phrases
see from soup to nuts (stem to stern) .Synonym Study
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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