Etymologically
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star

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /stɑː/, US /stɑːr/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English sterre, inherited from Old English steorra,[2][3][4] from Proto-Germanic *sternan-.[3][2] Its cognates include Old Frisian stēra, Old Saxon sterro, Dutch ster, German Stern and Old Norse stjarna,[2][3][4] and Gothic has stairnō.[3][5][6] The root is Proto-Indo-European *ster- (“star”),[3][7][5] the source also of Latin stēlla, Greek ἀστήρ (astḗr) and ἄστρον (ástron), and Sanskrit stṛbhis, “by the stars”.[5][8][6] It is related to stellar, constellation, asterisk, astral and astronomy.[9][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A celestial body appearing as a point of light at night: Old English steorra, before 830,[2] or about 825.[10]

Semantic evolution

The word was used originally of the apparently fixed celestial bodies, its restricted modern sense, but also of planets and comets, as in falling star and morning star.[3] The astrological sense, the influence of the planets on human affairs, is from the mid-13th century,[3] hence a person's fate as shown in the stars about 1600.[3] Star-crossed, “ill-fated”, is from Romeo and Juliet (1592),[3] and thank one's stars from the 1590s.[3][9] An image or figure of a star is from the 14th century.[5] The verb meant “to mark with a star” from the 1590s,[3] “to adorn with stars” by 1718,[3][11] and “to mark with an asterisk” by 1827.[3] A leading actor or singer is a star from 1824,[3] and the verb “to play the leading part” is from the same year.[3] An outstanding sports player is a star by 1916,[3] and stars as a ranking of quality for hotels are attested by 1886.[3]

Timeline

  • before 830 – Old English steorra.[2]
  • mid-13th century – the stars in astrology.[3]
  • 14th century – a star-shaped figure.[5]
  • 1590s – verb, to mark with a star, and thank one's stars.[3]
  • 1592 – star-crossed (Shakespeare).[3]
  • 1824 – a leading performer; verb, to play the lead.[3]
  • 1827 – verb, to mark with an asterisk.[3]
  • 1886 – stars as a quality rating.[3]
  • 1916 – a sports star.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A self-luminous celestial body of gas, such as the sun, seen at night as a point of light.
  2. A figure with five or more points, or something shaped like one; an asterisk.
  3. A mark of quality in a rating.
  4. A famous performer, or an outstanding person in a field.
  5. (often stars) A planet or constellation thought to influence human fate.

Adjective

  1. Of or being an outstanding performer: the star player.

Verb

  1. To adorn or mark with stars; to mark with an asterisk.
  2. To feature or play in a leading role.
  3. To perform outstandingly.

Word family

  • starless
  • starlike

Usage notes

A separate star, from Old Norse stǫrr, is any of various coarse seaside grasses and sedges, chiefly in Scotland and the north.[4][10][12]

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d e Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  8. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  9. ^ a b Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  10. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  11. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  12. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)