Etymologically
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sterno

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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

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