Where does “sternward” come from?
sternward (English) comes from English Stern, from English tern, from Middle English terne, from Old French terne, from Latin ternas, from Latin terni, from Latin ter, from Latin terr.
sternward (English): Towards the stern, aft; sternwards
Definitions
- Towards the stern, aft; sternwards
Ancestry of “sternward”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Stern | Having a hardness and severity of nature or manner |
| 2 | English | tern | Any of various sea birds of the family Sternidae... |
| 3 | Middle English | terne | — |
| 4 | Old French | terne | dull, dim |
| 5 | Latin | ternas | accusative feminine plural of terni |
| 6 | Latin | terni | three each; three at a time |
| 7 | Latin | ter | thrice |
| 8 | Latin | terr | — |
| 9 | Old Latin | tris | — |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | trēs | three |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | *tréyes | — |