στεῖρα

στεῖρα¹ barren

Pronunciation

• 5th-century BC Attic: /stêː.ra/^[1]
• 4th-century AD Koine: /ˈsti.ra/^[1]
• 10th-century Byzantine: /ˈsti.ra/^[1]

Forms

στεῖρᾰ (steîra) f (genitive στείρᾱς or στείρης); first declension^[1]

Etymology

The word for “barren” is inherited from Proto-Hellenic *stéřřa, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *stérih₂,^[1] the feminine of στεῖρος (steîros).^[1] It is formed like πίειρα (píeira), χίμαιρα (khímaira) and μοῖρα (moîra), and is an old term for a barren animal that was also used of barren women.^[2][3]

Cognate with Old Armenian ստերջ (sterǰ, “barren”) and Sanskrit स्तरी (starī, “barren cow”), which Beekes and Frisk call the closest matches,^[2][3][1] and with Gothic 𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌹𐍂𐍉 (stairō, “barren woman”), Albanian shtjerrë (“young cow, lamb”) and Latin sterilis (“barren”), whose ending was taken from words such as gracilis and fertilis.^[2]

Philoxenus derived it from a verb “to make stand”: a woman whose conceiving has been brought to a halt.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Odyssey it is used of a barren cow promised as a sacrifice.^[5][2]

Semantic evolution

It is used of goats and other animals, and in the Hippocratic writings of women past childbearing.^[5][2] The Septuagint uses it of the barren women of Genesis, and the New Testament takes it up in Luke and in Galatians, which quotes Isaiah: “rejoice, barren one, who does not bear”.^[6][7] Philo uses it metaphorically of a barren mind, nature or soul,^[5] and Lycophron and Lucian of a woman who has borne no child, a virgin.^[5][2] The Septuagint also has the verb στειρόω (steiróō), “to become barren”.^[2]

Timeline

• Homer – The Odyssey uses it of a barren cow.^[5][8]
• 5th century BC – The Hippocratic writings use it of women past childbearing.^[5][9]
• 4th–3rd century BC – Diocles uses it of barren women, and Lycophron of a virgin.^[5][9][8]
• 3rd century BC – A Zenon papyrus records a barren goat.^[5]
• 1st century BC–1st century AD – Philo applies it to a barren mind and soul.^[5][9]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of a cow or other female animal: that has not borne young, barren.^[5]
2. Of women: barren, infertile; past childbearing.^[5][7][6]
3. (figurative) Unfruitful, of the mind or soul.^[5]
4. Not having borne children, virgin.^[5][2]

Word family

• στειρώδης (steirṓdēs)
• στειρόω (steiróō)

στεῖρα² keel

Pronunciation

• 5th-century BC Attic: /stêː.ra/^[1]
• 4th-century AD Koine: /ˈsti.ra/^[1]
• 10th-century Byzantine: /ˈsti.ra/^[1]

Forms

στεῖρᾰ (steîra) f (genitive στείρᾱς or στείρης); first declension^[1]

Etymology

The word for the keel is an old technical feminine, formed with the same suffix as πρῷρα (prôira, “prow”), a word of related meaning, on the stem of στερεός (stereós, “stiff, solid”).^[2][10][3] It would first have meant the hard part that stands up in a ship.^[10][3] Chantraine traces the stem to Proto-Indo-European *ster-, which has the o-grade in Germanic words for “rigid, motionless”.^[10] Beekes adds that it may be the same word as the adjective for “barren”.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Iliad and the Odyssey a ship moves with the wave sounding about its stem: ἀμφὶ δὲ κῦμα στείρῃ πορφύρεον μεγάλ’ ἴαχε, “and the dark wave roared loudly round the stem”.^[5][2]

Semantic evolution

Hesychius glosses it as the timber of the prow that juts out along the keel, and Pollux places it between the fore-ram and the ram.^[2][10] Apollonius of Rhodes uses it after Homer.^[10] In medicine it was the name of a bandage, and Chantraine notes the derivative στείρωμα (steírōma), a technical extension of it.^[5][10] The fish name Modern Greek στείρα (stíra) may continue it.^[11]

Timeline

• Homer – The Iliad and the Odyssey use it in the same line for a ship's stem.^[5][2]
• 3rd century BC – Apollonius of Rhodes uses it.^[10][9]
• 2nd century AD – Pollux describes its place in a warship's bow.^[10][9]
• Modern Greek – The fish name Modern Greek στείρα (stíra) may continue it.^[11]

Meanings

Noun

1. The forepart of a ship's keel, running up into the stem or cutwater.^[5][2]
2. (medicine) A kind of bandage.^[5][10]

Word family

• στείρωμα (steírōma)