stereles
Middle English
Alternative forms
- steerelees, steereles, sterelees, sterles, stiereles, stierlees
- steoreleas, steorles (Early Middle English)
Etymology
Inherited from Old English stēorlēas; by surface analysis, stere (“rudder, control”) + -les (“-less”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈsteːr(ə)lɛːs/, /ˈsteːr(ə)lɛs/
Adjective
stereles
- (uncommon, nautical, often figurative) Having no rudder; uncontrolled or ungoverned.
- late 14th century, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Man of Law's Tale, The Canterbury Tales, line 438-441:
- And Custance han they take anon, foot-hoot,
And in a shippe al sterelees, god woot,
They han hir set, and bidde hir lerne sayle
Out of Surrye agaynward to Itayle.- And Custance have they taken right then, immediately,
And in a ship entirely without a rudder, God knows,
They have set her, and told her to learn to sail
Out of Syria back to Italy.
- And Custance have they taken right then, immediately,
- late 14th century, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Man of Law's Tale, The Canterbury Tales, line 438-441:
Descendants
- English: steerless
Further reading
- “stẹ̄relē̆s, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved October 15, 2022.
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