Chapter C: A. Young (8)

Steel"ing, n. The process of pointing, edging, or overlaying with steel; specifically, acierage. See Steel, v.

Steel"y (?), a. 1. Made of steel; consisting of steel. "The steely point of Clifford's lance." Shak.

Around his shop the steely sparkles flew.

Gay.

2. Resembling steel; hard; firm; having the color of steel. "His hair was steely gray." The Century.

She would unarm her noble heart of that steely resistance against
the sweet blows of love.

Sir P. Sidney.

Steely iron, a compound of iron containing less than one half of one per cent of carbon.

Steel"yard (?), n. [So named from a place in London called the Steelyard, which was a yard in which steel was sold.] A form of balance in which the body to be weighed is suspended from the shorter arm of a lever, which turns on a fulcrum, and a counterpoise is caused to slide upon the longer arm to produce equilibrium, its place upon this arm (which is notched or graduated) indicating the weight; a Roman balance; -- very commonly used also in the plural form, steelyards.

Steem (?), n. & v. See Esteem. [Obs.] Spenser.

Steem, n. & v. See 1st and 2nd Stem. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Steen (?), n. [AS. st&?;na. See Stone.] [Written also stean.] 1. A vessel of clay or stone. "An huge great earth-pot steane." Spenser.

2. A wall of brick, stone, or cement, used as a lining, as of a well, cistern, etc.; a steening.

Steen, v. t. [AS. st&?;nan to adorn with stones or gems. See Stone.] To line, as a well, with brick, stone, or other hard material. [Written also stean, and stein.]

||Steen"bok` (?), n. [D. steen stone + bok buck.] (Zoöl.) Same as ||Steinbock.

Steen"ing, n. A lining made of brick, stone, or other hard material, as for a well. [Written also steaning.]

{ Steen"kirk` (?), Stein"kirk` (?) }, n. [So called from the battle of Steinkirk, in 1692, on which occasion the French nobles had no time to arrange their lace neckcloths.] A kind of neckcloth worn in a loose and disorderly fashion.

Steep (stp), a. Bright; glittering; fiery. [Obs.]

His eyen steep, and rolling in his head.

Chaucer.

Steep, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Steeped (stpt); p. pr. & vb. n. Steeping.] [OE. stepen, probably fr. Icel. steypa to cause to stoop, cast down, pour out, to cast metals, causative of stpa to stoop; cf. Sw. stöpa to cast, to steep, Dan. stöbe, D. & G. stippen to steep, to dip. Cf. Stoop, v. t.] To soak in a liquid; to macerate; to extract the essence of by soaking; as, to soften seed by steeping it in water. Often used figuratively.

Let fancy still my sense in Lethe steep.

Shak.

In refreshing dew to steep The little, trembling flowers.

Wordsworth.

The learned of the nation were steeped in Latin.

Earle.

Steep, v. i. To undergo the process of soaking in a liquid; as, the tea is steeping. [Colloq.]

Steep, n. 1. Something steeped, or used in steeping; a fertilizing liquid to hasten the germination of seeds.

2. A rennet bag. [Prov. Eng.]

Steep, a. [Comper. Steeper (?); superl. Steepest.] [OE. steep, step, AS. steáp; akin to Icel. steyp&?;r steep, and stpa to stoop, Sw. stupa to fall, to tilt; cf. OFries. stap high. Cf. Stoop, v. i., Steep, v. t., Steeple.] 1. Making a large angle with the plane of the horizon; ascending or descending rapidly with respect to a horizontal line or a level; precipitous; as, a steep hill or mountain; a steep roof; a steep ascent; a steep declivity; a steep barometric gradient.

2. Difficult of access; not easy reached; lofty; elevated; high. [Obs.] Chapman.

3. Excessive; as, a steep price. [Slang]

Steep, n. A precipitous place, hill, mountain, rock, or ascent; any elevated object sloping with a large angle to the plane of the horizon; a precipice. Dryden.

We had on each side naked rocks and mountains broken into a
thousand irregular steeps and precipices.

Addison.

Bare steeps, where desolation stalks.

Wordsworth.

Steep"-down` (?), a. Deep and precipitous, having steep descent. [R.]

Wash me in steep-down gulfs of liquid fire.

Shak.

Steep"en (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Steepened (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Steepening.] To become steep or steeper.

As the way steepened . . . I could detect in the hollow of the hill
some traces of the old path.

H. Miller.

Steep"er (?), n. A vessel, vat, or cistern, in which things are steeped.

Steep"i*ness (?), n. Steepness. Howell.

Steep"ish, a. Somewhat steep. Carlyle.

Stee"ple (?), n. [OE. stepel, AS. stpel, st&?;pel; akin to E. steep, a.] (Arch.) A spire; also, the tower and spire taken together; the whole of a structure if the roof is of spire form. See Spire. "A weathercock on a steeple." Shak.

Rood steeple. See Rood tower, under Rood. -- Steeple bush (Bot.), a low shrub (Spiræa tomentosa) having dense panicles of minute rose-colored flowers; hardhack. -- Steeple chase, a race across country between a number of horsemen, to see which can first reach some distant object, as a church steeple; hence, a race over a prescribed course obstructed by such obstacles as one meets in riding across country, as hedges, walls, etc. -- Steeple chaser, one who rides in a steeple chase; also, a horse trained to run in a steeple chase. -- Steeple engine, a vertical back- acting steam engine having the cylinder beneath the crosshead. -- Steeple house, a church. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor.

Stee"ple*chas`ing (?), n. The act of riding steeple chases.

Stee"ple-crowned` (?), a. 1. Bearing a steeple; as, a steeple- crowned building.

2. Having a crown shaped like a steeple; as, a steeple-crowned hat; also, wearing a hat with such a crown.

This grave, beared, sable-cloaked, and steeple- crowned progenitor.

Hawthorne.

Stee"pled (?), a. Furnished with, or having the form of, a steeple; adorned with steeples. Fairfax.

Steep"ly (?), adv. In a steep manner; with steepness; with precipitous declivity.

Steep"ness, n. 1. Quality or state of being steep; precipitous declivity; as, the steepnessof a hill or a roof.

2. Height; loftiness. [Obs.] Chapman.

Steep"-up` (?), a. Lofty and precipitous. [R.]

Her stand she takes upon a steep-up hill.

Shak.

Steep"y (?), a. Steep; precipitous. [Poetic]

No more, my goats, shall I belong you climb The steepy cliffs, or
crop the flow'ry thyme.

Dryden.

Steer (?), n. [OE. steer, AS. steór; akin to D. & G. stier a bull, OHG. stior, Icel. stjrr, &?;jrr, Sw. tjur, Dan. tyr, Goth. stiur, Russ. tur', Pol. tur, Ir. & Gael. tarbh, W. tarw, L. taurus, Gr. &?;, Skr. sth&?;ra strong, stout, AS. stor large, Icel. strr, OHG. st&?;ri, stiuri. √168. Cf. Stirk, Taurine, a.] A young male of the ox kind; especially, a common ox; a castrated taurine male from two to four years old. See the Note under Ox.

Steer, v. t. To castrate; -- said of male calves.

Steer, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Steered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Steering.] [OE. steeren, steren, AS. stiéran, st&?;ran, steóran; akin to OFries. stiora, stiura, D. sturen, OD. stieren, G. steuren, OHG. stiuren to direct, support, G. steuer contribution, tax, Icel. st&?;ra to steer, govern,Sw. styra, Dan. styre, Goth. stiurjan to establish, AS. steór a rudder, a helm, and probably to Icel. staurr a pale, stake, Gr. &?;, and perhaps ultimately to E. stand. √168. Cf. Starboard, Stern, n.] To direct the course of; to guide; to govern; -- applied especially to a vessel in the water.

That with a staff his feeble steps did steer.

Spenser.

Steer, v. i. 1. To direct a vessel in its course; to direct one's course. "No helmsman steers." Tennyson.

2. To be directed and governed; to take a direction, or course; to obey the helm; as, the boat steers easily.

Where the wind Veers oft, as oft [a ship] so steers, and shifts her
sail.

Milton.

3. To conduct one's self; to take or pursue a course of action.

Steer, n. [AS. steór, stiór; akin to D. stuur, G. steuer, Icel. st&?;ri. √186. See Steer, v. t.] [Written also stere.] A rudder or helm. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Steer, n. [AS. steóra. See Steer a rudder.] A helmsman, a pilot. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Steer"a*ble (?), a. Capable of being steered; dirigible.

Steer"age (?), n. 1. The act or practice of steering, or directing; as, the steerage of a ship.

He left the city, and, in a most tempestuous season, forsook the
helm and steerage of the common wealth.

Milton.

2. (Naut.) (a) The effect of the helm on a ship; the manner in which an individual ship is affected by the helm. (b) The hinder part of a vessel; the stern. [R.] Swift. (c) Properly, the space in the after part of a vessel, under the cabin, but used generally to indicate any part of a vessel having the poorest accommodations and occupied by passengers paying the lowest rate of fare.

3. Direction; regulation; management; guidance.

He that hath the steerage of my course.

Shak.

4. That by which a course is directed. [R.]

Here he hung on high, The steerage of his wings.

Dryden.

Steerage passenger, a passenger who takes passage in the steerage of a vessel.

Steer"age*way` (?), n. (Naut.) A rate of motion through the water sufficient to render a vessel governable by the helm.

Steer"er (?), n. One who steers; as, a boat steerer.

Steer"ing, a. & n. from Steer, v.

Steering wheel (Naut.), the wheel by means of which the rudder of a vessel is turned and the vessel is steered.

Steer"less, a. Having no rudder. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Steer"ling (?), n. A young or small steer.

<! p. 1410 !>

Steers"man (strz"man), n.; pl. Steersmen (-men). [Steer a rudder + man: cf. AS. steórmann.] One who steers; the helmsman of a vessel. Milton.

Steers"mate (-mt`), n. [Steer a rudder + mate a companion.] One who steers; steersman. [Obs.] Milton.

Steeve (stv), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Steeved (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Steeving.] [Cf. OD. steve staff, E. stem, n.] (Shipbuilding) To project upward, or make an angle with the horizon or with the line of a vessel's keel; -- said of the bowsprit, etc.

Steeve, v. t. 1. (Shipbuilding) To elevate or fix at an angle with the horizon; -- said of the bowsprit, etc.

2. To stow, as bales in a vessel's hold, by means of a steeve. See Steeve, n. (b).

Steeve, n. (Naut.) (a) The angle which a bowsprit makes with the horizon, or with the line of the vessel's keel; -- called also steeving. (b) A spar, with a block at one end, used in stowing cotton bales, and similar kinds of cargo which need to be packed tightly.

Steev"ing, n. 1. The act or practice of one who steeves.

2. (Naut.) See Steeve, n. (a).

Steg (stg), n. [Icel. steggr the male of several animals. Cf. Stag.] (Zoöl.) A gander. [Written also stag.] [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

Steg`a*nog"ra*phist (?), n. One skilled in steganography; a cryptographer.

Steg`a*nog"ra*phy (?), n. [Gr. &?; covered (fr. &?; to cover closely) + -graphy.] The art of writing in cipher, or in characters which are not intelligible except to persons who have the key; cryptography.

||Steg`a*noph*thal"ma*ta (?), n. pl. [NL., from Gr. &?; covered + &?; ||the eye.] (Zoöl.) The Discophora, or Phanerocarpæ. Called also ||Steganophthalmia.

Ste*gan"o*pod (?), n. (Zoöl.) One of the Steganopodes.

||Steg`a*nop"o*des (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. &?;, &?;, web-footed; &?; ||covered + &?; foot.] (Zoöl.) A division of swimming birds in which ||all four toes are united by a broad web. It includes the pelicans, ||cormorants, gannets, and others.

Steg`a*nop"o*dous (?), a. (Zoöl.) Having all four toes webbed together.

||Steg*no"sis (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?;. See Stegnotic.] (Med.) ||Constipation; also, constriction of the vessels or ducts.

Steg*no"tic (?), a. [Gr. &?;, fr. &?; to cover, to make costive, fr. &?;, &?;, covered, closed.] (Med.) Tending to render costive, or to diminish excretions or discharges generally. -- n. A stegnotic medicine; an astringent.

||Steg`o*ceph"a*la (stg`*sf"*l), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. ste`gh roof + ||kefalh` head.] (Paleon.) An extinct order of amphibians found fossil ||in the Mesozoic rocks; called also Stegocephali, and Labyrinthodonta.

Their teeth, in transverse sections, usually show a labyrinthiform arrangement of the cement and dentine. The under side of the body was covered with bony plates. Some of the Stegocephala were of very large size, and the form of the body varied from short, stout forms to others that were as slender as serpents.

||Steg`o*sau"ri*a (-s"r*), n. pl. [NL. See Stegosaurus.] (Paleon.) An ||extinct order of herbivorous dinosaurs, including the genera ||Stegosaurus, Omosaurus, and their allies.

||Steg`o*sau"rus (-rs), n. [NL., fr. Gr. ste`gh roof + say^ros a ||lizard.] (Paleon.) A genus of large Jurassic dinosaurs remarkable for ||a powerful dermal armature of plates and spines.

Steik (?), v. t. See Steek. [Scot.]

Stein (?), n. & v. See Steen.

Stein"bock` (?), n. [G. stein stone + bock buck, D. bok. Cf. Steenbok.] (Zoöl.) (a) The European ibex. (b) A small South African antelope (Nanotragus tragulus) which frequents dry, rocky districts; -- called also steenbok. [Written also steinboc, and steinbok; also called stonebock, and stonebuck.]

Stein"gale (?), n. The stannel. [Prov. Eng.]

Stein"ing (?), n. See Steening.

Stein"kirk` (?), n. Same as Steenkirk.

Stein"kle (?), n. The wheater. [Prov. Eng.]

||Ste"la (?), n.; pl. Stelæ (#). [L., from Gr. &?; a post, an upright ||stone.] (Gr. Antiq.) A small column or pillar, used as a monument, ||milestone, etc.

||Ste"le (st"l), n. [NL.] Same as Stela.

One of these steles, containing the Greek version of the ordinance,
has recently been discovered.

I. Taylor (The Alphabet).

Stele (stl), n. [See Stale a handle.] A stale, or handle; a stalk. [Obs.] Chaucer. Holland.

Ste"lene (?), a. [See Stela.] Resembling, or used as, a stela; columnar. [R.]

Stell (?), v. t. [AS. stellan. &radic;163.] To place or fix firmly or permanently. [Obs.] Shak.

Stell, n. [See Stell, v. t.] 1. A prop; a support, as for the feet in standing or cilmbing. [Scot.]

2. A partial inclosure made by a wall or trees, to serve as a shelter for sheep or cattle. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]

{ Stel"lar (?), Stel"la*ry (?), } a. [L. stellaris, fr. stella a star. See Star.] 1. Of or pertaining to stars; astral; as, a stellar figure; stellary orbs.

[These soft fires] in part shed down Their stellar virtue.

Milton.

2. Full of stars; starry; as, stellar regions.

{ Stel"late (?), Stel"la*ted (?), } a. [L. stellatus, p. p. of stellare to set or cover with stars, from stella a star. See Stellar.] 1. Resembling a star; pointed or radiated, like the emblem of a star.

2. (Bot.) Starlike; having similar parts radiating from a common center; as, stellate flowers.

Stel*la"tion (?), n. Radiation of light. [Obs.]

Stelled (?), a. [See Stell to place.] Firmly placed or fixed. [Obs.] "The stelled fires" [the stars]. Shak. [In this passage by some defined as "starry," as if from stellatus.]

Stel"ler (?), n. [After Geo. W. Steller, a German naturalist.] (Zoöl) The rytina; -- called also stellerine.

Stel"ler*id (?), n. [L. stella a star.] (Zoöl.) A starfish.

||Stel*ler"i*da (?), n. pl. [NL.] (Zoöl.) An extensive group of ||echinoderms, comprising the starfishes and ophiurans.

{ Stel*ler"i*dan (?), Stel`ler*id"e*an (?), } n. (Zoöl.) A starfish, or brittle star.

Stel*lif"er*ous (?), a. [L. stellifer; stella star + ferre to bear.] Having, or abounding with, stars.

Stel"li*form (?), a. [L. stella a star + -form.] Like a star; star-shaped; radiated.

Stel"li*fy (?), v. t. [L. stella a star + -fy.] To turn into a star; to cause to appear like a star; to place among the stars, or in heaven. [Obs. or R.] B. Jonson.

Stel"lion (?), n. [L. stellio a newt having starlike spots on its back, fr. stella a star.] (Zoöl.) A lizard (Stellio vulgaris), common about the Eastern Mediterranean among ruins. In color it is olive- green, shaded with black, with small stellate spots. Called also hardim, and star lizard.

Stel"lion*ate (?), n. [L. stellionatus cozenage, trickery, fr. stellio a newt, a crafty, knavish person.] (Scots & Roman Law) Any fraud not distinguished by a more special name; -- chiefly applied to sales of the same property to two different persons, or selling that for one's own which belongs to another, etc. Erskine.

Stel"lu*lar (?), a. [L. stellula, dim. of stella a star.] 1. Having the shape or appearance of little stars; radiated.

2. Marked with starlike spots of color.

Stel"lu*late (?), a. (Bot.) Minutely stellate.

||Stel`ma*top"o*da (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; a block, post + &?;, ||&?;, eye + &?;, &?;, foot.] (Zoöl.) Same as Gymnolæmata.

Ste*log"ra*phy (?), n. [Gr. &?; a post, slab, pillar + -graphy: cf. Gr. &?; an inscription on a tablet.] The art of writing or inscribing characters on pillars. [R.] Stackhouse.

{ Stem (?), Steem (?) }, v. i. To gleam. [Obs.]

His head bald, that shone as any glass, . . . [And] stemed as a
furnace of a leed [caldron].

Chaucer.

{ Stem, Steem }, n. A gleam of light; flame. [Obs.]

Stem (stm), n. [AS. stemn, stefn, stæfn; akin to OS. stamn the stem of a ship, D. stam stem, steven stem of a ship, G. stamm stem, steven stem of a ship, Icel. stafn, stamn, stem of a ship, stofn, stomn, stem, Sw. stam a tree trunk, Dan. stamme. Cf. Staff, Stand.] 1. The principal body of a tree, shrub, or plant, of any kind; the main stock; the part which supports the branches or the head or top.

After they are shot up thirty feet in length, they spread a very
large top, having no bough nor twig in the trunk or the stem.

Sir W. Raleigh.

The lowering spring, with lavish rain, Beats down the slender stem
and breaded grain.

Dryden.

2. A little branch which connects a fruit, flower, or leaf with a main branch; a peduncle, pedicel, or petiole; as, the stem of an apple or a cherry.

3. The stock of a family; a race or generation of progenitors. "All that are of noble stem." Milton.

While I do pray, learn here thy stem And true descent.

Herbert.

4. A branch of a family.

This is a stem Of that victorious stock.

Shak.

5. (Naut.) A curved piece of timber to which the two sides of a ship are united at the fore end. The lower end of it is scarfed to the keel, and the bowsprit rests upon its upper end. Hence, the forward part of a vessel; the bow.

6. Fig.: An advanced or leading position; the lookout.

Wolsey sat at the stem more than twenty years.

Fuller.

7. Anything resembling a stem or stalk; as, the stem of a tobacco pipe; the stem of a watch case, or that part to which the ring, by which it is suspended, is attached.

8. (Bot.) That part of a plant which bears leaves, or rudiments of leaves, whether rising above ground or wholly subterranean.

9. (Zoöl.) (a) The entire central axis of a feather. (b) The basal portion of the body of one of the Pennatulacea, or of a gorgonian.

10. (Mus.) The short perpendicular line added to the body of a note; the tail of a crotchet, quaver, semiquaver, etc.

11. (Gram.) The part of an inflected word which remains unchanged (except by euphonic variations) throughout a given inflection; theme; base.

From stem to stern (Naut.), from one end of the ship to the other, or through the whole length. -- Stem leaf (Bot.), a leaf growing from the stem of a plant, as contrasted with a basal or radical leaf.

Stem, v. t. 1. To remove the stem or stems from; as, to stem cherries; to remove the stem and its appendages (ribs and veins) from; as, to stem tobacco leaves.

2. To ram, as clay, into a blasting hole.

Stem, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stemmed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Stemming.] [Either from stem, n., or akin to stammer; cf. G. stemmen to press against.] To oppose or cut with, or as with, the stem of a vessel; to resist, or make progress against; to stop or check the flow of, as a current. "An argosy to stem the waves." Shak.

[They] stem the flood with their erected breasts.

Denham.

Stemmed the wild torrent of a barbarous age.

Pope.

Stem, v. i. To move forward against an obstacle, as a vessel against a current.

Stemming nightly toward the pole.

Milton.

Stem"-clasp`ing (?), a. (Bot.) Embracing the stem with its base; amplexicaul, as a leaf or petiole.

Stem"less, a. Having no stem; (Bot.) acaulescent.

Stem"let (?), n. A small or young stem.

||Stem"ma (?), n.; pl. Stemmata (#). [NL., fr. Gr. &?;, pl. &?;, a ||garland or chaplet.] (Zoöl.) (a) One of the ocelli of an insect. See ||Ocellus. (b) One of the facets of a compound eye of any arthropod.

Stem"mer (?), n. One who, or that which, stems (in any of the senses of the verbs).

Stem"mer*y (?), n. A large building in which tobacco is stemmed. [U. S.] Bartlett.

Stem"my (?), a. Abounding in stems, or mixed with stems; -- said of tea, dried currants, etc. [Colloq.]

Stem"ple (?), n. [G. stempel a stamp, a prop, akin to E. stamp.] (Mining) A crossbar of wood in a shaft, serving as a step.

Stem"son (?), n. [See Stem, n., and Keelson, and cf. Sternson.] (Shipbuilding) A piece of curved timber bolted to the stem, keelson, and apron in a ship's frame near the bow.

Stem"-wind`er (?), n. A stem- winding watch. [Colloq.]

Stem"-wind`ing, a. Wound by mechanism connected with the stem; as, a stem-winding watch.

Stench (?), v. t. To stanch. [Obs.] Harvey.

Stench, n. [AS. stenc a strong smell, fr. stincan. See Stink, v. i.] 1. A smell; an odor. [Obs.]

Clouds of savory stench involve the sky.

Dryden.

2. An ill smell; an offensive odor; a stink. Cowper.

Stench trap, a contrivance to prevent stench or foul air from rising from the openings of sewers, drains, etc.

Stench, v. t. [AS. stencan to emit a smell, fr. stincan to smell. See Stench, n.] To cause to emit a disagreeable odor; to cause to stink. [Obs.] Young.

Stench"y (?), a. Having a stench. [Obs.] Dyer.

Sten"cil (?), n. [Probably from OF. estincelle spangle, spark, F. étincelle spark, L. scintilla. See Scintillate, and cf. Tinsel.] A thin plate of metal, leather, or other material, used in painting, marking, etc. The pattern is cut out of the plate, which is then laid flat on the surface to be marked, and the color brushed over it. Called also stencil plate.

Sten"cil, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stenciled (?) or Stencilled; p. pr. & vb. n. Stenciling or Stencilling.] To mark, paint, or color in figures with stencils; to form or print by means of a stencil.

Sten"cil*er (?), n. One who paints or colors in figures by means of stencil. [Written also stenciller.]

Sten"o*derm (?), n. [Gr. steno`s narrow, little + -derm.] (Zoöl.) Any species of bat belonging to the genus Stenoderma, native of the West Indies and South America. These bats have a short or rudimentary tail and a peculiarly shaped nose membrane.

Sten`o*der"mine (?), a. (Zoöl.) Of or pertaining to the genus Stenoderma, which includes several West Indian and South American nose-leaf bats.

Sten"o*graph (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stenographed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Stenographing (?).] To write or report in stenographic characters.

Sten"o*graph, n. A production of stenography; anything written in shorthand.

I saw the reporters' room, in which they redact their hasty
stenographs.

Emerson.

Ste*nog"ra*pher (?), n. One who is skilled in stenography; a writer of shorthand.

{ Sten`o*graph"ic (?), Sten`o*graph"ic*al (?), } a. [Cf. F. sténographique.] Of or pertaining to stenography.

Ste*nog"ra*phist (?), n. A stenographer.

Ste*nog"ra*phy (?), n. [Gr. steno`s narrow, close + graphy: cf. F. sténographie, G. stenographie.] The art of writing in shorthand, by using abbreviations or characters for whole words; shorthand.

Ste*noph"yl*lous (?), a. [Gr. steno`s narrow + fy`llon leaf.] (Bot.) Having narrow leaves.

||Ste*no"sis (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. steno`s narrow.] (Med.) A narrowing ||of the opening or hollow of any passage, tube, or orifice; as, ||stenosis of the pylorus. It differs from stricture in being applied ||especially to diffused rather than localized contractions, and in ||always indicating an origin organic and not spasmodic.

Sten"o*stome (?), a. [Gr. steno`s narrow, little + sto`ma mouth.] (Zoöl.) Having a small or narrow mouth; -- said of certain small ground snakes (Opoterodonta), which are unable to dilate their jaws.

Stent (?), v. t. [Obs. imp. Stente (?); obs. p. p. Stent.] [See Stint.] To keep within limits; to restrain; to cause to stop, or cease; to stint.

Then would he weep, he might not be stent.

Chaucer.

Yet n'ould she stent Her bitter railing and foul revilement.

Spenser.

Stent, v. i. To stint; to stop; to cease.

And of this cry they would never stenten.

Chaucer.

Stent, n. An allotted portion; a stint. "Attain'd his journey's stent." Mir. for Mag.

Stent"ing, n. An opening in a wall in a coal mine. [Written also stenton.] [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

Sten"tor (?), n. [L. Stentor, Gr. &?;.] 1. A herald, in the Iliad, who had a very loud voice; hence, any person having a powerful voice.

2. (Zoöl.) Any species of ciliated Infusoria belonging to the genus Stentor and allied genera, common in fresh water. The stentors have a bell-shaped, or cornucopia- like, body with a circle of cilia around the spiral terminal disk. See Illust. under Heterotricha.

3. (Zoöl.) A howling monkey, or howler.

<! p. 1411 !>

Sten*to"ri*an (?), a. [L. stentoreus; cf. Gr. &?;.] Of or pertaining to a stentor; extremely loud; powerful; as, a stentorian voice; stentorian lungs.

Sten"to*rin (?), n. (Chem.) A blue coloring matter found in some stentors. See Stentor, 2.

Sten*to"ri*ous (?), a. Stentorian. [R.]

Sten`to*ron"ic (?), a. Stentorian. [Obs.]

Sten`to*ro*phon"ic (?), a. [Gr. &?; Stentor + &?; a sound, voice. See Stentor.] Speaking or sounding very loud; stentorian. [Obs.]

Of this stentorophonic horn of Alexander there is a preserved in
the Vatican.

Derham.

Step (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Stepped (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Stepping.] [AS. stæppan; akin to OFries. steppa, D. stappen to step, stap a step, OHG. stepfen to step, G. stapfe a footstep, OHG. stapfo, G. stufe a step to step on; cf. Gr. &?; to shake about, handle roughly, stamp (?). Cf. Stamp, n. & a.] 1. To move the foot in walking; to advance or recede by raising and moving one of the feet to another resting place, or by moving both feet in succession.

2. To walk; to go on foot; esp., to walk a little distance; as, to step to one of the neighbors.

3. To walk slowly, gravely, or resolutely.

Home the swain retreats, His flock before him stepping to the fold.

Thomson.

4. Fig.: To move mentally; to go in imagination.

They are stepping almost three thousand years back into the
remotest antiquity.

Pope.

To step aside, to walk a little distance from the rest; to retire from company. -- To step forth, to move or come forth. -- To step in or into. (a) To walk or advance into a place or state, or to advance suddenly in.

Whosoever then first, after the troubling of the water, stepped in,
was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.

John v. 4.

(b) To enter for a short time; as, I just stepped into the house. (c) To obtain possession without trouble; to enter upon easily or suddenly; as, to step into an estate. -- To step out. (a) (Mil.) To increase the length, but not the rapidity, of the step, extending it to thirty-tree inches. (b) To go out for a short distance or a short time. -- To step short (Mil.), to diminish the length or rapidity of the step according to the established rules.

Step, v. t. 1. To set, as the foot.

2. (Naut.) To fix the foot of (a mast) in its step; to erect.

To step off, to measure by steps, or paces; hence, to divide, as a space, or to form a series of marks, by successive measurements, as with dividers.

Step, n. [AS. stæpe. See Step, v. i.] 1. An advance or movement made by one removal of the foot; a pace.

2. A rest, or one of a set of rests, for the foot in ascending or descending, as a stair, or a round of a ladder.

The breadth of every single step or stair should be never less than
one foot.

Sir H. Wotton.

3. The space passed over by one movement of the foot in walking or running; as, one step is generally about three feet, but may be more or less. Used also figuratively of any kind of progress; as, he improved step by step, or by steps.

To derive two or three general principles of motion from phenomena,
and afterwards to tell us how the properties and actions of all
corporeal things follow from those manifest principles, would be a
very great step in philosophy.

Sir I. Newton.

4. A small space or distance; as, it is but a step.

5. A print of the foot; a footstep; a footprint; track.

6. Gait; manner of walking; as, the approach of a man is often known by his step.

7. Proceeding; measure; action; an act.

The reputation of a man depends on the first steps he makes in the
world.

Pope.

Beware of desperate steps. The darkest day, Live till to-morrow,
will have passed away.

Cowper.

I have lately taken steps . . . to relieve the old gentleman's
distresses.

G. W. Cable.

8. pl. Walk; passage.

Conduct my steps to find the fatal tree.

Dryden.

9. pl. A portable framework of stairs, much used indoors in reaching to a high position.

10. (Naut.) In general, a framing in wood or iron which is intended to receive an upright shaft; specif., a block of wood, or a solid platform upon the keelson, supporting the heel of the mast.

11. (Mach.) (a) One of a series of offsets, or parts, resembling the steps of stairs, as one of the series of parts of a cone pulley on which the belt runs. (b) A bearing in which the lower extremity of a spindle or a vertical shaft revolves.

12. (Mus.) The intervak between two contiguous degrees of the csale.

The word tone is often used as the name of this interval; but there is evident incongruity in using tone for indicating the interval between tones. As the word scale is derived from the Italian scala, a ladder, the intervals may well be called steps.

13. (Kinematics) A change of position effected by a motion of translation. W. K. Clifford.

Back step, Half step, etc. See under Back, Half, etc. -- Step grate, a form of grate for holding fuel, in which the bars rise above one another in the manner of steps. -- To take steps, to take action; to move in a matter.

Step-. [AS. steóp-; akin to OFries. stiap-, stiep-, D. & G. stief-, OHG. stiuf- , Icel. stj&?;p-, Sw. styf-, and to AS. stpan, steópan, to deprive, bereave, as children of their parents, OHG. stiufen.] A prefix used before father, mother, brother, sister, son, daughter, child, etc., to indicate that the person thus spoken of is not a blood relative, but is a relative by the marriage of a parent; as, a stepmother to X is the wife of the father of X, married by him after the death of the mother of X. See Stepchild, Stepdaughter, Stepson, etc.

Step"broth`er (?), n. A brother by the marriage of one's father with the mother of another, or of one's mother with the father of another.

Step"child` (?), n. [AS. steópcild.] 1. A bereaved child; one who has lost father or mother. [Obs.]

2. A son or daughter of one's wife or husband by a former marriage.

Step"dame` (?), n. A stepmother. Spenser.

Step"daugh`ter (?), n. [AS. steópdohtor.] A daughter of one's wife or husband by a former marriage.

Step"fa`ther (?), n. [AS. steópfæder.] The husband of one's mother by a subsequent marriage.

Ste*pha"ni*on (?), n. [NL., from Gr. &?; a crown.] (Anat.) The point on the side of the skull where the temporal line, or upper edge of the temporal fossa, crosses the coronal suture.

Steph"an*ite (?), n. [So named after the Archduke Stephan, mining director of Austria.] (Min.) A sulphide of antimony and silver of an iron-black color and metallic luster; called also black silver, and brittle silver ore.

||Steph`a*no"tis (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; fit for a crown, fr. &?; ||crown.] 1. (Bot.) A genus of climbing asclepiadaceous shrubs, of ||Madagascar, Malaya, etc. They have fleshy or coriaceous opposite ||leaves, and large white waxy flowers in cymes.

2. A perfume said to be prepared from the flowers of Stephanotis floribunda.

Step"lad`der (?), n. A portable set of steps.

Step"moth`er (?), n. [AS. steópmder.] The wife of one's father by a subsequent marriage.

Step"par`ent (?), n. Stepfather or stepmother.

Steppe (?), n. [From Russ. stepe, through G. or F. steppe.] One of the vast plains in Southeastern Europe and in Asia, generally elevated, and free from wood, analogous to many of the prairies in Western North America. See Savanna.

Steppe murrain. (Far.) See Rinderpest.

Stepped (?), a. Provided with a step or steps; having a series of offsets or parts resembling the steps of stairs; as, a stepped key.

Stepped gear, a cogwheel of which the teeth cross the face in a series of steps.

Step"per (?), n. One who, or that which, steps; as, a quick stepper.

Step"ping-stone` (?), n. 1. A stone to raise the feet above the surface of water or mud in walking.

2. Fig.: A means of progress or advancement.

These obstacles his genius had turned into stepping- stones.

Macaulay.

That men may rise on stepping-stones Of their dead selves to higher
things.

Tennyson.

Step"sis`ter (?), n. A daughter of one's stepfather or stepmother by a former marriage.

Step"son` (?), n. [AS. steópsunu.] A son of one's husband or wife by a former marriage.

Step"stone` (?), n. A stone laid before a door as a stair to rise on in entering the house.

-ster (?). [OE. & AS. -estre, -istre.] A suffix denoting the agent (originally a woman), especially a person who does something with skill or as an occupation; as in spinster (originally, a woman who spins), songster, baxter (= bakester), youngster.

Brewing, baking, and weaving were formerly feminine labors, and consequently brewster, baxter, and webster meant, originally, the woman (not the man) who brews, bakes, or weaves. When men began to perform these duties the feminine appellations were retained.

Ster`co*bi"lin (?), n. [L. stercus dung + E. bilin.] (Physiol. Chem.) A coloring matter found in the fæces, a product of the alteration of the bile pigments in the intestinal canal, -- identical with hydrobilirubin.

Ster"co*lin (?), n. [L. stercus dung + oleum oil.] (Physiol. Chem.) Same as Serolin (b).

Ster`co*ra"ceous (?), a. [L. stercus, -oris, dung.] Of or pertaining to dung; partaking of the nature of, or containing, dung.

Ster"co*ra*nism (?), n. (Eccl. Hist.) The doctrine or belief of the Stercoranists.

Ster"co*ra*nist (?), n. [LL. stercoranista, fr. L. stercus, -oris, dung.] (Eccl. Hist.) A nickname formerly given to those who held, or were alleged to hold, that the consecrated elements in the eucharist undergo the process of digestion in the body of the recipient.

Ster`co*ra"ri*an (?), n. A Stercoranist.

Ster"co*ra*ry (?), n. [LL. stercorarium, from L. stercorarius belonging to dung.] A place, properly secured from the weather, for containing dung.

Ster"co*rate (?), n. Excrement; dung. [Obs.]

Ster`co*ra"tion (?), n. [L. stercoratio, from stercorare to dung.] Manuring with dung. [Obs.] Bacon.

Ster*co"ri*an*ism (?), n. (Eccl.) The doctrine or belief of the Stercoranists.

Ster"co*rin (?), n. [L. stercus, -oris, dung.] (Physiol. Chem.) Same as Serolin (b).

Ster"co*ry (?), n. Excrement; dung. [Obs.]

Ster*cu`li*a"ceous (?), a. [NL. Sterculia, the typical genus, fr. L. Sterculius the deity that presided over manuring, from stercus dung. So called because one of the original species is fetid.] (Bot.) Of or pertaining to a natural order (Sterculiaceæ) of polypetalous exogenous plants, mostly tropical. The cacao (Theobroma Cacao) is the most useful plant of the order.

Stere (?), n. [F. stère, fr. Gr. &?; solid.] A unit of cubic measure in the metric system, being a cubic meter, or kiloliter, and equal to 35.3 cubic feet, or nearly 1 cubic yards.

Stere (?), v. t. & i. To stir. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Stere, n. A rudder. See 5th Steer. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Stere, n. Helmsman. See 6th Steer. [Obs.] Chaucer.

||Ster`el*min"tha (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. stereo`s solid + &?; a ||worm.] (Zoöl.) Same as Platyelminthes.

Ste"re*o- (?). [Gr. stereo`s solid. See Stare to gaze.] A combining form meaning solid, hard, firm, as in stereo-chemistry, stereography.

Ste"re*o*bate (?), n. [Gr. stereo`s solid + &?; that treads or covers, akin to &?; base; cf. F. stéréobate.] (Arch.) The lower part or basement of a building or pedestal; -- used loosely for several different forms of basement.

{ Ste`re*o-chem"ic (?), Ste`re*o-chem"ic*al (?), } a. (Chem.) Pertaining to, or illustrating, the hypothetical space relations of atoms in the molecule; as, a stereo-chemic formula.

Ste`re*o-chem"is*try (?), n. [Stereo- + chemistry.] (Chem.) Chemistry considered with reference to the space relations of atoms.

Ste"re*o*chrome (?), n. Stereochromic picture.

Ste`re*o*chro"mic (?), a. Pertaining to the art of stereochromy; produced by stereochromy. -- Ste`re*o*chro"mic*al*ly (#), adv.

Ste`re*och"ro*my (?), n. [Stereo- + Gr. chrw^ma color.] A style of painting on plastered walls or stone, in which the colors are rendered permanent by sprinklings of water, in which is mixed a proportion of soluble glass (a silicate of soda).

Ste`re*o*e*lec"tric (?), a. [Stereo- + electric.] (Physics) Of or pertaining to the generation of electricity by means of solid bodies alone; as, a stereoelectric current is one obtained by means of solids, without any liquid.

Ste"re*o*gram (?), n. [Stereo- + -gram.] A diagram or picture which represents objects in such a way as to give the impression of relief or solidity; also, a stereograph.

Ste"re*o*graph (?), n. [Stereo- + -graph.] Any picture, or pair of pictures, prepared for exhibition in the stereoscope. Stereographs are now commonly made by means of photography.

{ Ste`re*o*graph"ic (?), Ste`re*o*graph"ic*al (?), } a. [Cf. F. stéréographique.] Made or done according to the rules of stereography; delineated on a plane; as, a stereographic chart of the earth.

Stereographic projection (Geom.), a method of representing the sphere in which the center of projection is taken in the surface of the sphere, and the plane upon which the projection is made is at right andles to the diameter passing through the center of projection.

Ste`re*o*graph"ic*al*ly, adv. In a stereographical manner; by delineation on a plane.

Ste`re*og"ra*phy (?), n. [Stereo- + graphy: cf. F. stéréographie.] The art of delineating the forms of solid bodies on a plane; a branch of solid geometry which shows the construction of all solids which are regularly defined.

By cutting pieces of cardboard, or other suitable material, in the forms represented in the cut, folding them along the lines indicated, and joining their edges, the five regular solids may be formed.

Ste`re*om"e*ter (?), n. [Stereo- + meter.] (Physics) 1. An instrument for measuring the solid contents of a body, or the capacity of a vessel; a volumenometer.

2. An instrument for determining the specific gravity of liquid bodies, porous bodies, and powders, as well as solids.

{ Ste`re*o*met"ric (?), Ste`re*o*met"ric*al (?), } a. [Cf. F. stéréométrique.] Of or pertaining to stereometry; performed or obtained by stereometry. -- Ste`re*o*met"ric*al*ly, adv.

Ste`re*om"e*try (?), n. [Stereo- + -metry: cf. F. stéréométrie.] The art of measuring and computing the cubical contents of bodies and figures; -- distinguished from planimetry.

Ste`re*o*mon"o*scope (?), n. [Stereo- + mono- + -scope.] An instrument with two lenses, by which an image of a single picture projected upon a screen of ground glass is made to present an appearance of relief, and may be viewed by several persons at once.

Ste"re*o*plasm (?), n. [Stereo- + Gr. &?; anything formed or molded.] (Biol.) The solid or insoluble portion of the cell protoplasm. See Hygroplasm.

Ste`re*op"ti*con (?), n. [NL. See Stereo-, and Optic.] An instrument, consisting essentially of a magic lantern in which photographic pictures are used, by which the image of a landscape, or any object, may be thrown upon a screen in such a manner as to seem to stand out in relief, so as to form a striking and accurate representation of the object itself; also, a pair of magic lanterns for producing the effect of dissolving views.

Ste"re*o*scope (?), n. [Stereo- + -scope.] An optical instrument for giving to pictures the appearance of solid forms, as seen in nature. It combines in one, through a bending of the rays of light, two pictures, taken for the purpose from points of view a little way apart. It is furnished with two eyeglasses, and by refraction or reflection the pictures are superimposed, so as to appear as one to the observer.

In the reflecting stereoscope, the rays from the two pictures are turned into the proper direction for stereoscopic vision by two plane mirrors set at an angle with each other, and between the pictures. In the lenticular stereoscope, the form in general use, the eyeglasses are semilenses, or marginal portions of the same convex lenses, set with their edges toward each other, so that they deflect the rays coming from the picture so as to strike the eyes as if coming direct from an intermediate point, where the two pictures are seen apparently as one.

{ Ste`re*o*scop"ic (?), Ste`re*o*scop"ic*al (?), } a. Of or pertaining to the stereoscope; characteristic of, or adapted to, the stereoscope; as, a stereoscopic effect; the stereoscopic function of the eyeglasses; stereoscopic views. -- Ste`re*o*scop"ic*al*ly, adv.

Ste`re*os"co*pist (?), n. One skilled in the use or construction of stereoscopes.

<! p. 1412 !>

Ste`re*os"co*py (?), n. The art or science of using the stereoscope, or of constructing the instrument or the views used with it.

Ste`re*o*stat"ic (?), a. [Stereo- + static.] (Civil. Engin.) Geostatic.

{ Ste`re*o*tom"ic (?), Ste`re*o*tom"ic*al (?), } a. Of or pertaining to stereotomy; performed by stereotomy.

Ste`re*ot"o*my (?), n. [Stereo- + Gr. &?; to cut: cf. F. stéréotomie.] The science or art of cutting solids into certain figures or sections, as arches, and the like; especially, the art of stonecutting.

Ste"re*o*type (?), n. [Stereo- + -type: cf. F. stéréotype.] 1. A plate forming an exact faximile of a page of type or of an engraving, used in printing books, etc.; specifically, a plate with type-metal face, used for printing.

A stereotype, or stereotypr plate, is made by setting movable type as for ordinary printing; from these a cast is taken in plaster of Paris, paper pulp, or the like, and upon this cast melted type metal is poured, which, when hardened, makes a solid page or column, from which the impression is taken as from type.

2. The art or process of making such plates, or of executing work by means of them.

Stereotype block, a block, usually of wood, to which a stereotype plate is attached while being used in printing.

Ste"re*o*type, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stereotyped (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Stereotyping (?).] [Cf. F. stéréotyper.] 1. To prepare for printing in stereotype; to make the stereotype plates of; as, to stereotype the Bible.

2. Fig.: To make firm or permanent; to fix.

Powerful causes tending to stereotype and aggravate the poverty of
old conditions.

Duke of Argyll (1887).

Ste"re*o*typed (?), a. 1. Formed into, or printed from, stereotype plates.

2. Fig.: Formed in a fixed, unchangeable manner; as, stereotyped opinions.

Our civilization, with its stereotyped ways and smooth
conventionalities.

J. C. Shairp.

Ste"re*o*ty`per (?), n. One who stereotypes; one who makes stereotype plates, or works in a stereotype foundry.

Ste"re*o*ty`per*y (?), n. 1. The art, process, or employment of making stereotype plates.

2. A place where stereotype plates are made; a stereotype foundry.

Ste`re*o*typ"ic (?), a. Of or pertaining to stereotype, or stereotype plates.

Ste"re*o*ty`pist (?), n. A stereotyper.

Ste`re*o*ty*pog"ra*pher (?), n. A stereotype printer.

Ste`re*o*ty*pog"ra*phy (?), n. [Stereo- + typography.] The act or art of printing from stereotype plates.

Ste"re*o*ty`py (?), n. [Cf. F. stéréotypie.] The art or process of making stereotype plates.

Ster`hy*drau"lic (?), a. [Stereo- + hydraulic.] Pertaining to, or designating, a kind of hydraulic press; resembling such a press in action or principle.

Sterhydraulic press, an hydraulic press producing pressure or motion by the introduction of a solid substance (as a long rod, or a cord wound on a roller) into a cylinder previously filled with a liquid.

Ster"ile (?), a. [F. stérile, L. sterilis, akin to Gr. stereo`s stiff, solid, stei^ros barren, stei^ra a cow that has not calved, Goth. stair, fem., barren. See Stare to gaze.] 1. Producing little or no crop; barren; unfruitful; unproductive; not fertile; as, sterile land; a sterile desert; a sterile year.

2. (Biol.) (a) Incapable of reproduction; unfitted for reproduction of offspring; not able to germinate or bear fruit; unfruitful; as, a sterile flower, which bears only stamens. (b) Free from reproductive spores or germs; as, a sterile fluid.

3. Fig.: Barren of ideas; destitute of sentiment; as, a sterile production or author.

Ste*ril"i*ty (?), n. [L. sterilitas: cf. F. stérilité.] 1. The quality or condition of being sterile.

2. (Biol.) Quality of being sterile; infecundity; also, the state of being free from germs or spores.

Ster`il*i*za"tion (?), n. (Biol.) The act or process of sterilizing, or rendering sterile; also, the state of being sterile.

Ster"il*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sterilized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Sterilizing (?).] [Cf. F. stériliser.] 1. To make sterile or unproductive; to impoverish, as land; to exhaust of fertility. [R.] "Sterilizing the earth." Woodward.

2. (Biol.) (a) To deprive of the power of reproducing; to render incapable of germination or fecundation; to make sterile. (b) To destroy all spores or germs in (an organic fluid or mixture), as by heat, so as to prevent the development of bacterial or other organisms.

Ster"let (?), n. [Russ. sterliade.] (Zoöl.) A small sturgeon (Acipenser ruthenus) found in the Caspian Sea and its rivers, and highly esteemed for its flavor. The finest caviare is made from its roe.

Ster"ling (?), n. (Engin.) Same as Starling, 3.

Ster"ling, n. [OE. sterlynge, starling, for easterling, LL. esterlingus, probably from Easterling, once the popular name of German trades in England, whose money was of the purest quality: cf. MHG. sterlink a certain coin. Cf. East. "Certain merchants of Norwaie, Denmarke, and of others those parties, called Ostomanni, or (as in our vulgar language we tearme them), easterlings, because they lie east in respect of us." Holinshed. "In the time of . . . King Richard the First, monie coined in the east parts of Germanie began to be of especiall request in England for the puritie thereof, and was called Easterling monie, as all inhabitants of those parts were called Easterlings, and shortly after some of that countrie, skillful in mint matters and allaies, were sent for into this realme to bring the coine to perfection; which since that time was called of them sterling, for Easterling." Camden. "Four thousand pound of sterlings." R. of Gloucester.] 1. Any English coin of standard value; coined money.

So that ye offer nobles or sterlings.

Chaucer.

And Roman wealth in English sterling view.

Arbuthnot.

2. A certain standard of quality or value for money.

Sterling was the known and approved standard in England, in all
probability, from the beginning of King Henry the Second's reign.

S. M. Leake.

Ster"ling (?), a. 1. Belonging to, or relating to, the standard British money of account, or the British coinage; as, a pound sterling; a shilling sterling; a penny sterling; -- now chiefly applied to the lawful money of England; but sterling cost, sterling value, are used. "With sterling money." Shak.

2. Genuine; pure; of excellent quality; conforming to the highest standard; of full value; as, a work of sterling merit; a man of sterling good sense.

Stern (?), n. [AS. stearn a kind of bird. See Starling.] (Zoöl.) The black tern.

Stern, a. [Compar. Sterner (?); superl. Sternest.] [OE. sterne, sturne, AS. styrne; cf. D. stuurish stern, Sw. stursk refractory. &radic;166.] Having a certain hardness or severity of nature, manner, or aspect; hard; severe; rigid; rigorous; austere; fixed; unchanging; unrelenting; hence, serious; resolute; harsh; as, a sternresolve; a stern necessity; a stern heart; a stern gaze; a stern decree.

The sterne wind so loud gan to rout.

Chaucer.

I would outstare the sternest eyes that look.

Shak.

When that the poor have cried, Cæsar hath wept; Ambition should be
made of sterner stuff.

Shak.

Stern as tutors, and as uncles hard.

Dryden.

These barren rocks, your stern inheritance.

Wordsworth.

Syn. -- Gloomy; sullen; forbidding; strict; unkind; hard- hearted; unfeeling; cruel; pitiless.

Stern, n. [Icel. stjrn a steering, or a doubtful AS. steórn. &radic;166. See Steer, v. t.] 1. The helm or tiller of a vessel or boat; also, the rudder. [Obs.] Chaucer.

2. (Naut.) The after or rear end of a ship or other vessel, or of a boat; the part opposite to the stem, or prow.

3. Fig.: The post of management or direction.

And sit chiefest stern of public weal.

Shak.

4. The hinder part of anything. Spenser.

5. The tail of an animal; -- now used only of the tail of a dog.

By the stern. (Naut.) See By the head, under By.

Stern, a. Being in the stern, or being astern; as, the stern davits.

Stern board (Naut.), a going or falling astern; a loss of way in making a tack; as, to make a stern board. See Board, n., 8 (b). -- Stern chase. (Naut.) (a) See under Chase, n. (b) A stern chaser. -- Stern chaser (Naut.), a cannon placed in a ship's stern, pointing backward, and intended to annoy a ship that is in pursuit. -- Stern fast (Naut.), a rope used to confine the stern of a ship or other vessel, as to a wharf or buoy. -- Stern frame (Naut.), the framework of timber forms the stern of a ship. -- Stern knee. See Sternson. -- Stern port (Naut.), a port, or opening, in the stern of a ship. -- Stern sheets (Naut.), that part of an open boat which is between the stern and the aftmost seat of the rowers, -- usually furnished with seats for passengers. -- Stern wheel, a paddle wheel attached to the stern of the steamboat which it propels.

Stern"age (?), n. Stern. [R.] Shak.

Ster"nal (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the sternum; in the region of the sternum.

Sternal ribs. See the Note under Rib, n., 1.

Stern"berg*ite (?), n. [So named after Count Kaspar Sternberg of Prague.] (Min.) A sulphide of silver and iron, occurring in soft flexible laminæ varying in color from brown to black.

||Ster"ne*bra (?), n.; pl. Sternebræ (#). [NL., fr. sternum + - bra of ||vertebra.] (Anat.) One of the segments of the sternum. -- ||Ster"ne*bral (#), a.

Sterned (?), a. Having a stern of a particular shape; -- used in composition; as, square- sterned.

Stern"er (?), n. [See 3d Stern.] A director. [Obs. & R.] Dr. R. Clerke.

Stern`fore"most` (?), adv. With the stern, instead of the bow, in advance; hence, figuratively, in an awkward, blundering manner.

A fatal genius for going sternforemost.

Lowell.

Ster"nite (?), n. [From Sternum.] (Zoöl.) The sternum of an arthropod somite.

Stern"ly (?), adv. In a stern manner.

Stern"most` (?), a. Farthest in the rear; farthest astern; as, the sternmost ship in a convoy.

Stern"ness, n. The quality or state of being stern.

Ster"no- (?). A combining form used in anatomy to indicate connection with, or relation to, the sternum; as, sternocostal, sternoscapular.

Ster`no*cor"a*coid (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the sternum and the coracoid.

Ster`no*cos"tal (?), a. [Sterno- + costal.] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the sternum and the ribs; as, the sternocostal cartilages.

Ster`no*hy"oid (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the sternum and the hyoid bone or cartilage.

Ster`no*mas"toid (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the sternum and the mastoid process.

Ster`no*thy"roid (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the sternum and the thyroid cartilage.

Stern"post` (?), n. (Naut.) A straight piece of timber, or an iron bar or beam, erected on the extremity of the keel to support the rudder, and receive the ends of the planks or plates of the vessel.

Sterns"man (?), n. A steersman. [Obs.]

Stern"son (?), n. [See Stern, n., and cf. Stemson.] (Naut.) The end of a ship's keelson, to which the sternpost is bolted; -- called also stern knee.

Ster"num (?), n.; pl. L. Sterna (#), E. Sternums (#). [NL., from Gr. &?;, the breast, chest.] 1. (Anat.) A plate of cartilage, or a series of bony or cartilaginous plates or segments, in the median line of the pectoral skeleton of most vertebrates above fishes; the breastbone.

The sternum is connected with the ribs or the pectorial girdle, or with both. In man it is a flat bone, broad anteriorly, narrowed behind, and connected with the clavicles and the cartilages of the seven anterior pairs of ribs. In most birds it has a high median keel for the attachment of the muscles of the wings.

2. (Zoöl.) The ventral part of any one of the somites of an arthropod.

Ster`nu*ta"tion (?), n. [L. sternutatio, fr. sternutare to sneeze, intens. from sternuere.] The act of sneezing. Quincy.

Ster*nu"ta*tive (?), a. Having the quality of provoking to sneeze.

Ster*nu"ta*to*ry (?), a. Sternutative. -- n. A sternutatory substance or medicine.

Stern"way` (?), n. (Naut.) The movement of a ship backward, or with her stern foremost.