Where does “ster” come from?

ster (Middle English) comes from Old English stēor, from Proto-Germanic stiuriją, from Proto-Germanic stiurijaną, from Proto-Germanic -janą, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti, from Proto-Indo-European yé-, from Chichewa iye — he, she.

Ancestry of “ster”, step by step

ster traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English stēor

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishstēorrudder; a young bull or cow; steer; steer
2Proto-Germanicstiuriją
3Proto-Germanicstiurijanąto direct, steer
4Proto-Germanic-janąDerives denominatives from nouns and factitives...
5Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-
7Chichewaiyehe, she

via Old English stær

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishstærstarling; a stare; history
2Proto-West Germanic*starstiff
3Proto-Germanicstarazstiff
4Proto-Indo-European(s)tern-starling
Every word from Chichewa iyeEvery word from Proto-Germanic -janąEvery word from Proto-Indo-European -yéti