sterling的词源

英文词源

sterling: sterling: [13] Sterling ‘British money’ originated as a term for an English silver penny from the 13th to the 15th centuries. The first ones struck had the design of a small star on them – hence the name sterling (and its now defunct variant starling), literally ‘little star’. Two hundred and forty of such coins formed a unit of weight, known as a pound of sterlings. The earliest use of sterling as a general term for ‘English currency’ dates from the mid 16th century.
=> star
sterling (n.): c. 1300, "silver penny," probably from Middle English sterre (see star (n.)), according to OED "presumably" from the stars that appeared in the design of certain Norman coins, + diminutive suffix -ling. But starred coins were not especially common among Anglo-Saxon currency, and the stars on them tended to be small. The other theory [Kluge] is that it derives from Old French estedre "stater" (see stater). Sense broadened by 1560s to "money having the quality of the sterling," and c. 1600 to "English money in general." As an adjective from early 15c. From 1640s in general sense of "capable of standing a test" (as a sound coin would). A pound sterling was originally "a pound weight of sterlings," equal to about 240 of them.

来自古英语 staerlinc,椋鸟，来自 staer,椋鸟，来自 Proto-Germanic*staraz,椋鸟，来自 PIE*stern, 椋鸟。-ling,小词后缀。

该词的英语词源请访问找单词词源英文版：sterling 词源，sterling 含义。

可能来自中古英语 sterre,银币，银便士，字面意思为星星，词源同 star,星星，-ling,小词后缀。可能因诺曼人所铸造的硬币上曾出现过星星状图案而得名。后用于英国货币代称，缩写自 pound sterling,一磅重的银币。