Sterling

How to spell sterling

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce sterling

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does sterling mean?

1. nounThe British currency, the pound, especially when referring to its value against other currencies.
2. adjectiveOf the highest quality or genuine worth; excellent and reliable.
3. adjectiveDenoting a standard alloy of silver that is 92.5 percent pure, used in jewellery and tableware.

Sterling in a sentence

• noun

  The contract is priced in sterling rather than in dollars.

• adjective

  The team delivered a sterling performance throughout the season.

• adjective

  The cutlery set was made of solid sterling silver.

• noun

  The value of sterling fell sharply after the announcement.

• adjective

  Her sterling reputation made clients trust her instantly.

• adjective

  Each piece carries a hallmark certifying it as sterling silver.

Where does sterling come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

Sterling comes from late Old English and Middle English, where a 'sterling' was a silver penny, the standard coin of medieval England. The most widely accepted explanation traces it to the Old English word steorra, meaning 'star', plus the diminutive suffix -ling, because some early Norman pennies were stamped with a small star, so a 'little star' became the name of the coin itself. From naming a single penny, the word broadened to mean money 'of sterling quality', that is, of a fixed and trustworthy silver standard, and 'pound sterling' came to name the national currency. A rival old theory linked it to the 'Easterlings', traders from eastern Germany whose coins were prized for their reliability, but most scholars now consider the star explanation more likely. Because the coin was a byword for dependable, full-weight silver, sterling also grew into an adjective praising anything of genuine excellence, which is why we still speak of a 'sterling effort' and of 'sterling silver'.

How the word is built

• steor (star, from Old English steorra)
• -ling (diminutive/noun suffix)