# sterling

Pronunciation: say "STUR-ling" US /ˈstɝ.lɪŋ/, UK /ˈstɜː.lɪŋ/

## Noun

1. The currency of the United Kingdom, whose basic unit is the pound sterling.
   - Simple: The money used in the United Kingdom, counted in pounds.
   - _The painting sold for two million sterling at the London auction._
   - _Traders sold sterling heavily after the central bank cut interest rates._
2. Silver of the official sterling standard, or articles made from it.
   - Simple: Silver that meets an official standard, or things made from it.
   - _The family's sterling came out of the cabinet only for Thanksgiving dinner._
   - _The bracelet is solid sterling, stamped 925 inside the clasp._
7. The gold and silver coinage formerly struck in Britain to a legal standard of purity: 91.666 percent for gold and 92.5 percent for silver.
   - Simple: Old British gold or silver coins made with a fixed amount of pure metal.
   - _Foreign traders accepted English sterling because its silver content could be relied on._
   - _Royal officers tested each batch of sterling at the mint to make sure it met the legal fineness._
8. A silver penny, as struck in earlier centuries.
   - Simple: An old silver coin worth one penny.
   - _Each laborer received a single sterling for a long day in the fields._
   - _Forgers clipped the edges of sterlings and passed them off at full value._
9. A structure of pilings built to protect the piers of a bridge.
   - Simple: A group of strong posts that protects the supports of a bridge.
   - _Workers drove new oak piles to rebuild the sterling around the bridge's central pier._
   - _Flood debris piled up against the sterlings until the river raced between the arches._

## Adjective

3. Of acknowledged worth or influence: high in quality and carrying authority.
   - Simple: Very good and widely respected, so people trust it.
   - _The professor's sterling credentials gave weight to the committee's report._
   - _Coming from such a sterling source, the warning was taken seriously by the city council._
4. Genuine and pure in nature, and of great value or excellence.
   - Simple: Real and pure, and very good or valuable.
   - _His sterling honesty won the trust of everyone on the board._
   - _The old ferries gave sterling service for decades before they were finally retired._
5. Made from or relating to sterling silver.
   - Simple: Made of, or having to do with, silver of an official standard.
   - _The museum displayed a sterling tea service made for the governor's household._
   - _Each piece carries a sterling hallmark stamped by the assay office._
6. Connected with British money, including coins issued by Britain in the past.
   - Simple: Having to do with British money, now or in the past.
   - _The 1967 sterling crisis forced the British government to devalue the pound._
   - _Exporters watched the sterling exchange rate closely all week._

## Origin

Possibly from Old English *steorling, from steorra ("star") + -ling, referring to the stars that appeared on certain English pennies. Alternatively, the first part may be *stēre, meaning "strong" or "stout" (compare the history of solidus).

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/sterling (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).