stern

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• Received-Pronunciation: stûn
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• Received-Pronunciation: /stɜːn/
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• General-American: stûrn
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• General-American: /stɝn/
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• US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)n
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• CMU ARPABET: S T ER1 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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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- (“rigid, stiff”). Cognate with Scots stern (“bold, courageous, fierce, resolute”), Old High German stornēn (“to be astonished”), Dutch stuurs (“glum, austere”), Swedish stursk (“insolent”).

* As a German and Jewish surname, from the noun Stern (“star”). This was also borrowed into various Slavic languages such as Serbo-Crotian and Slovenian. * As an English surname, from the adjective stern.

Inherited from Middle English sterne, likely from Old Norse stjórn (“control, steering”), related to stýra (“to steer”), from Proto-Germanic *stiurijaną, whence also English steer. Also possibly from Old Frisian stiarne (“rudder”), from the same Germanic root. The sense referring to a management post alludes to the fact that a sailing ship's captain would often stand on an aft deck.

From a variant of tern.

204 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Arabic: صَارِم (ṣārim) — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Arabic: مُتَشَدِّد (mutašaddid) — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Armenian: խիստ (xist) — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Azerbaijani: tündməcaz — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Azerbaijani: tündxasiyyət — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Azerbaijani: sərt — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Bulgarian: суро́в (suróv) — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Bulgarian: строг (strog) — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Bulgarian: твърд (tvǎrd) — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Catalan: sever — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Czech: přísný — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Czech: tvrdý — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Czech: strohý — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Czech: příkrý — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Dutch: streng — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Esperanto: severa — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Esperanto: serioza — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Finnish: ankara — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Finnish: kovaluontoinen — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Finnish: tyly — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Finnish: kova — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• French: sévère — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Georgian: სასტიკი (sasṭiḳi) — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• German: streng — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• German: hart — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• German: bitter — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• German: unnachgiebig — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• German: ernst — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• German: unnachsichtig — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• German: gestreng — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Greek: αυστηρός (afstirós) — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Hungarian: szigorú — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Hungarian: rideg — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Italian: austero — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Italian: severo — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Italian: duro — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Italian: rigido — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Japanese: 厳格な (genkaku na) — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Latin: tētricus — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Latin: firmātus — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Malayalam: കർശന (kaṟśana) — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Malayalam: കർക്കശ (kaṟkkaśa) — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Māori: makiki — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Māori: taikaha — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Plautdietsch: ieeboa — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Polish: surowy — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Portuguese: severo — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Portuguese: austero — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Portuguese: rígido — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Portuguese: sério — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Romanian: dur — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Romanian: sever — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Russian: стро́гий (strógij) — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Russian: суро́вый (suróvyj) — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Serbo-Croatian: jak — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Serbo-Croatian: snažan — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Serbo-Croatian: čvrst — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Serbo-Croatian: čeličan — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Serbo-Croatian: grubost — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Serbo-Croatian: surovost — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Serbo-Croatian: strogost — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Slovak: neúprosný — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Slovak: tvrdý — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Slovak: prísny — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Spanish: severo — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Spanish: adusto — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Spanish: apremiante — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Swedish: sträng — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Swedish: rigorös — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Swedish: strikt — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Swedish: barsk — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Swedish: hård — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Turkish: sert — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Turkish: haşin — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Turkish: katı — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Ukrainian: суво́рий (suvóryj) — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Ukrainian: стро́гий (stróhyj) — having a hardness and severity of nature or manner
• Bulgarian: неприве́тлив (neprivétliv) — grim and forbidding in appearance
• Bulgarian: недружелю́бен (nedruželjúben) — grim and forbidding in appearance
• Bulgarian: негостоприе́мен (negostopriémen) — grim and forbidding in appearance
• Bulgarian: мра́чен (mráčen) — grim and forbidding in appearance
• Czech: drsný — grim and forbidding in appearance
• Finnish: ankara — grim and forbidding in appearance
• Finnish: tuima — grim and forbidding in appearance
• French: austère — grim and forbidding in appearance
• German: düster — grim and forbidding in appearance
• German: unfreundlich — grim and forbidding in appearance
• German: abweisend — grim and forbidding in appearance
• German: abschreckend — grim and forbidding in appearance
• Greek: βλοσυρός (vlosyrós) — grim and forbidding in appearance
• Hungarian: zord — grim and forbidding in appearance
• Italian: arcigno — grim and forbidding in appearance
• Italian: inflessibile — grim and forbidding in appearance
• Japanese: 荘厳な (sōgon na) — grim and forbidding in appearance
• Māori: taikaha — grim and forbidding in appearance
• Russian: мра́чный (mráčnyj) — grim and forbidding in appearance
• Scottish Gaelic: gruamach — grim and forbidding in appearance
• Slovak: neprívetivý — grim and forbidding in appearance
• Spanish: adusto — grim and forbidding in appearance
• Swedish: hård — grim and forbidding in appearance
• Albanian: shtreze — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Arabic: مُؤَخَّرَة (muʔaḵḵara) — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Armenian: նավախել (navaxel) — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Asturian: popa — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Azerbaijani: sarğı — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Azerbaijani: gəmi sarğısı — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Basque: txopa — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Belarusian: карма́ (karmá) — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Bulgarian: кърма́ (kǎrmá) — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Catalan: popa — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Chinese Mandarin: 船尾 (chuánwěi) — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Chinese Mandarin: 舳 (zhú) — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Czech: záď — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Danish: agterstavn — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Danish: agterstævn — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Danish: agterende — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Dutch: achtersteven — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Dutch: achterschip — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Erzya: венчпуло (venčpulo) — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Esperanto: poŭpo — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Esperanto: pobo — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Estonian: ahter — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Finnish: perä — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Finnish: ahteri — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• French: poupe — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• French: arrière — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Galician: popa — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Georgian: კიჩო (ḳičo) — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• German: Heck — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• German: Schiffshinterteil — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• German: Hinterschiff — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Gothic: 𐌽𐍉𐍄𐌰 (nōta) — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Greek: πρύμνη (prýmni) — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Ancient Greek: πρύμνα (prúmna) — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Hindi: दुंबाल (dumbāl) — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Hindi: दबूसा (dabūsā) — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Hindi: पिच्छल (picchal) — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Hindi: पिछाड़ी (pichāṛī) — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Hungarian: tat — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Hungarian: hajótat — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Icelandic: skutur — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Ido: pupo — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Ingrian: ahteri — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Irish: deireadh — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Istriot: poûpa — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Italian: poppa — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Japanese: 船尾 (senbi) — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Japanese: 艫 (tomo) — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Kazakh: корма (korma) — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Korean: 선미 (seonmi) — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Korean: 고물 (gomul) — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Latin: puppis — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Latvian: pakaļgals — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Lithuanian: laivagalis — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Lushootseed: ʔillaq — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Macedonian: крма (krma) — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Malay: buritan — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Malayalam: അമരം (amaraṁ) — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Manx: cashtal jerree — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Manx: arbyl — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Māori: kei — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Māori: tā — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Māori: noko — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Norman: poupe — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Norman: tillac — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Norwegian Bokmål: akterstavn — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Norwegian Bokmål: hekk — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Norwegian Bokmål: akterspeil — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Norwegian Bokmål: akterende — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Norwegian Nynorsk: hekk — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Norwegian Nynorsk: akterende — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Norwegian Nynorsk: akterspegel — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Norwegian Nynorsk: akterstamn — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Church Slavic: кръма (krŭma) — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Old English: stēorsetl — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Persian: پاشْنِه (pâšne) — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Polish: rufa — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Portuguese: popa — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Russian: корма́ (kormá) — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Serbo-Croatian: кр̏ма — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Serbo-Croatian: kȑma — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Slovak: korma — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Slovene: krma — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Spanish: popa — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Swahili: shetri — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Swahili: tezi — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Swedish: akter — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Swedish: bakstam c poop — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Tagalog: popa — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Thai: ท้ายเรือ (táai-rʉʉa) — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Turkish: kıç — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Turkish: pupa — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Ottoman Turkish: پوپا (pupa) — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Ukrainian: корма́ (kormá) — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Uzbek: quyruq — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Venetan: pòpe — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Venetan: pupa — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Volapük: pödanaf — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Volapük: pödastev — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Welsh: starn — the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel
• Finnish: peräsin — figuratively: post of management or direction
• Malayalam: അമരം (amaraṁ) — figuratively: post of management or direction
• Finnish: perä — hinder part of anything
• Finnish: häntä — tail of an animal