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*ster-

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Etymology and origin of the Proto-Indo-European word *ster-

*ster-1 to lay low

Confidence
Probable

Reconstruction

LIV sets up *ster- 'to stretch out on the ground, to lay low' and, following Narten, keeps it apart from *sterh₃- 'to spread out'.[1] The word for 'star' is a separate formation, *h₂stḗr, written *h₂ster- in the Handbook's lexicon chapter.[2]

Morphology

LIV reconstructs a root aorist *stér-/str- and a nu-present *str̥-néu̯/nu-; an i̯e-present in Avestan and a Vedic perfect are later formations.[1]

Evidence

LIV's evidence comes from Indo-Aryan, Iranian, Italic and Albanian.[1] In Latin sternō the two roots fell together, and the form rests on *str̥néh₃-.[1] De Vaan accordingly derives sternō from *st(e)r-n-h₃- 'to spread, strew'.[3] Cheung's root Proto-Iranian *star (“to sweep, throw down; to sin”) belongs here, with Young Avestan stərəta-.[4]

Competing analyses

After Eichner, LIV notes that the root may first have meant 'to make stiff', which would take in words for 'barren' such as Sanskrit स्तरी (starī́).[1] De Vaan objects that this needs a shift from 'to lay down' to 'to make stiff' to 'to make infertile', while the adjectives mean 'infertile', not 'making infertile'.[5]

Meanings

  1. to stretch out on the ground, to lay low[1]

Reflexes

  • Indo-Aryan, as listed by LIV: Sanskrit अस्तर् (ástar, “has laid low”), Sanskrit स्तृणोषि (str̥ṇóṣi, “you lay low”).[1]
  • Iranian: Avestan stərəta-, from Proto-Iranian *star (“to throw down”).[4]
  • Italic: Latin sternō (“to lay out, spread”), which LIV lists here and de Vaan under *sterh₃-.[1][3]
  • Albanian, as listed by LIV: Albanian shtrin (“lays low”).[1]

*ster-2 stiff

Confidence
Uncertain

Reconstruction

Beekes traces Ancient Greek στερεός (stereós) to a root *ster- 'stiff, fixed', with a question mark.[6] Smoczyński derives Lithuanian stérti from the same *ster-, citing Beekes.[7] Watkins also sets up a root 'stiff' under this spelling.[8]

Competing analyses

Kroonen reconstructs the root with a laryngeal, as *sterh₁- 'to be stiff': Proto-Germanic *stara- (“stiff”) from *storh₁-o-, Lithuanian stérti from *stérh₁-e-, Ancient Greek στερεός (stereós) from *sterh₁-uo- and Old Irish seirt (“strength”) from *sterh₁-ti-.[9][10]

Meanings

  1. stiff, fixed[6]

Reflexes

  • Greek: Ancient Greek στερεός (stereós, “stiff, hard, firm”).[6]
  • Baltic: Lithuanian stérti (“to grow stiff, to go numb”).[7]
  • Germanic: Proto-Germanic *stara- (“stiff”), which Kroonen assigns to *sterh₁-.[9]

*ster-3 barren

Confidence
Probable

Reconstruction

De Vaan sets up *ster- 'lacking, sterile',[5] and Mallory and Adams *ster- 'barren, infertile'.[11] Beekes reconstructs the feminine *ster-ih₂ 'infertile',[12] and Kroonen *ster-ieh₂-, an Indo-European word for 'infertile one'.[13]

Evidence

The word is found in Indo-Aryan, Armenian, Greek, Italic, Germanic and Albanian: Sanskrit स्तरी (starī́, “infertile cow”), Old Armenian ստերջ (sterǰ, “infertile”), Ancient Greek στεῖρα (steîra), Latin sterilis, Gothic 𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌹𐍂𐍉 (stairo) and Albanian shtjerrë (“young cow, lamb”).[12] De Vaan sees a development from 'sterile' through 'which has not yet borne young' to 'young animal, lamb, calf'.[5]

Competing analyses

Eichner, as reported by LIV, derives these words from *ster- 'to lay low' through 'to make stiff' (block 1).[1] Beekes refers to Ancient Greek στερεός (stereós) 'stiff', which rarely also means 'infertile', and to Ancient Greek στέριφος (stériphos, “hard, firm, infertile”).[12][6] De Vaan finds Ancient Greek στέρομαι (stéromai, “to be robbed, to lack”), from *sterh₁-, the best match in meaning.[5] Pokorny's root for 'sterile' was a special use of his root for 'stiff'.[14]

Meanings

  1. infertile, barren[12][11]

De Vaan glosses the root 'lacking, sterile'.[5]

Derivatives

  • *ster-ih₂: Ancient Greek στεῖρα (steîra, “infertile”), Sanskrit स्तरी (starī́).[12]
  • *ster-ieh₂-: Proto-Germanic *sterōn- (“sterile woman”).[13]
  • *ster-elo-: Latin sterilis (“infertile”).[13]

Reflexes

  • Greek: Ancient Greek στεῖρα (steîra, “infertile, of cows, goats and women”).[12]
  • Italic: Latin sterilis (“barren, sterile, without offspring”).[5]
  • Germanic: Gothic 𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌹𐍂𐍉 (stairo, “sterile woman”).[13]
  • Albanian: Albanian shtjerrë (“lamb, young cow, heifer”).[15]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rix, Helmut, et al. (2001), Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben, 2nd ed., Wiesbaden: Reichert, p. s.v. *ster-
  2. ^ Klein, Jared; Joseph, Brian; Fritz, Matthias, eds. (2017–2018), Handbook of Comparative and Historical Indo-European Linguistics, 3 vols (HSK 41), Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton, p. 2253
  3. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill, p. s.v. sternō
  4. ^ a b Cheung, Johnny (2007), Etymological Dictionary of the Iranian Verb, Leiden: Brill, p. 388
  5. ^ a b c d e f de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill, p. s.v. sterilis
  6. ^ a b c d Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill, p. s.v. στερεός
  7. ^ a b Smoczyński, Wojciech (2018), Lithuanian Etymological Dictionary, Berlin: Peter Lang, p. 1762
  8. ^ Watkins, Calvert (2000), "Indo-European Roots", appendix to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin, p. s.v. ster-
  9. ^ a b Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 474
  10. ^ Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 488
  11. ^ a b Mallory, J. P.; Adams, D. Q. (2006), The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World, Oxford: OUP, p. 194
  12. ^ a b c d e f Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill, p. s.v. στεῖρα
  13. ^ a b c d Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 478
  14. ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Bern; Munich: Francke, p. s.v. ster-6
  15. ^ Orel, Vladimir (1998), Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden / Boston / Köln: Brill, p. s.v. shtjerrë
Cite this entry

“*ster-.” Etymologically, 7 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/ine-pro/*ster-. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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