sterno

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈstɛr.noː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈstɛr.no]^[1]

Forms

sternō (present infinitive sternere, perfect active strāvī, supine strātum); third conjugation^[1] Manilius and Varro have the shortened strārat, strāsset.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *sterna-, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *st(e)r-n-h₃- (“to spread, strew”), a nasal present.^[4][1] The perfect was formed after the participle.^[4] Cognate with Sanskrit स्तृणाति (stṛṇā́ti, “spreads out, strews”), Ancient Greek στόρνυμι (stórnumi, “to spread”) and Old Irish sernaid (“spreads”).^[4][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus uses it.^[4] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

In Classical Latin it was to spread out on the ground, especially coverings to lie on, as Ovid's fleece, to spread a couch with blankets, and to lay stones for a pavement or to pave a road.^[2][6] It was to strew or cover with something, to stretch on the ground or strike down, to overthrow, and to level or raze a town.^[1][2] Rarely it was to calm or still.^[1]

Its participle in via strāta “paved road” gave Late Latin strāta and Old English strǣt, English street.^[7] The noun strātum “coverlet, pavement” gave stratum.^[7]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^[4][5]
• 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid spreads a fleece on the ground.^[6][5]
• Old English – strǣt “street” is borrowed from strāta.^[7]
• 1590s – English stratum is recorded.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To spread out, lay out (coverings).^[2][3]
2. To spread (a couch) with coverings; to strew, cover.^[2][1]
3. To pave.^[2][1]
4. To stretch on the ground, strike down; to overthrow; to raze.^[1]
5. To calm (the sea).^[1]

Word family

• asternō
• cōnsternō
• dēsternō
• disternō
• exsternō
• īnsternō
• intersternō
• obsternō
• persternō
• praesternō
• prōsternō
• sternāx

Related words

• English street
• English stratum

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d e de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com