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单词 steer
释义

steern.1

Brit. /stɪə/, U.S. /stɪ(ə)r/
Forms: Old English stéor, Middle English steore, Middle English, 1500s ster, Middle English–1600s stere, steere, Middle English steyr, sterre, 1500s sterr, styre, stiere, ( sthere), 1500s–1600s steare, 1700s stear, Middle English– steer.
Etymology: Old English stéor (masculine) = Middle Low German stêr, Middle Dutch, Dutch stier, Old High German stior (Middle High German, modern German stier), Gothic stiur < Germanic type *steuro-z < pre-Germanic *(s)teuro-s, < Indogermanic root *st(h)eu- to be fixed or rigid; the form without s is represented by Old Norse þjór-r (Swedish tjur, Danish tyr). According to some the word goes back to an Indogermanic *sthewəro- (Sanskrit sthavira) stout. Connection with Greek ταῦρος, Latin taurus, and their cognates is doubtful.
A young ox, esp. one which has been castrated.In the United States, Australia, etc., applied to male beef-cattle of any age.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > bull > [noun] > castrated or bullock
steera700
oxeOE
bullocka1000
stot1251
bovert?a1400
stotterel1532
ox stirk1550
steerling1648
horny1808
piker1887
a700 Epinal Gloss. 596 Ludarius, steor.
c1290 S. James 182 in S. Eng. Leg. 39 Þe Bollokes and þe ȝoungue steores.
c1340 Nominale (Skeat) 723 Boef bouet et ienyce, Oxe stere and hefere.
c1405 (c1385) G. Chaucer Knight's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 1291 Aboute his Chaar ther wente white Alauntz Twenty and mo, as grete as any steer.
1463–4 in W. B. D. D. Turnbull Compota Domestica (1836) 48 In x bouiculis vocatis steres emptis.
1500 Ortus Vocabulorum Buculus, a stote or a sterre.
1549 in J. W. Clay North Country Wills (1908) I. 204 A pied stere of foure yeres.
1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene iii. xi. sig. Nn7v And Aeolus faire daughter Arne hight, For whom he turnd him selfe into a Steare.
1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 iv. i. 328 Like youthfull steeres vnyoakt. View more context for this quotation
1638 tr. F. Bacon Hist. Life & Death (Mosley) 38 Old spent Oxen being put into fresh pastures, recover new tender flesh, and as sweete as if it were of a Steere.
a1722 E. Lisle Observ. Husbandry (1757) 222 Steers will not be beef till four or five years old.
1808 W. Scott Marmion v. iii. 244 Or musing, who would guide his steer, To till the fallow land.
1830 Hobart Town Almanack 105 Mr. Lord's men..had been compelled to ride after a small herd, and to shoot a steer at random on the plain.
1854 A. E. Baker Gloss. Northants. Words II. 295 Steer, a bullock, after it is one year old, till it enters its fourth year, when it is termed an ox.
1898 H. R. Haggard Farmer's Year (1899) 64 There are four red-poll steers tied up fatting in a shed.

Compounds

C1.
a. attributive.
ΚΠ
1537 in S. Tymms Wills & Inventories Bury St. Edmunds (1850) 132 A rede stere calfe.
1620 T. Venner Via Recta iii. 51 The flesh of Steeres, which we commonly call Steere-beefe.
1676 London Gaz. No. 1126/4 Stolen or strayed.., two Steer Runts.
1819 W. Cobbett Year's Resid. U.S.A. ii. viii. 220 Steer beef is not nearly so good as ox beef.
1832 J. Baxter Libr. Agric. & Hort. Knowl. (ed. 2) 119 Eight of the best steer calves should be brought into work when three years old.
b. Designating events or participants in a rodeo, as steer roper, steer wrestler; steer bulldogging, steer roping, steer wrestling.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > equestrian sports except racing > rodeo > [noun] > types of contest
bull-dogging1842
pony penning1877
steer bulldogging1910
steer wrestling1910
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > equestrian sports except racing > rodeo > [noun] > participants
bull rider1829
bull-dogger1907
steer roper1910
steer wrestler1910
header1927
heeler1927
pickup man1930
1910 Oregon Daily Jrnl. 30 Sept. 18/5 Steer roping contest for championship of the northwest.
1912 Oregon Sunday Jrnl. 18 Sept. 2/1 Among the many events to be featured at the Round-Up this year is the world's championship wild steer bull-dogging contest.
1914 World's Work Feb. 445/2 It by no means follows that a good steer roper is a good calf roper.
1922 N.Y. Times 12 Nov. i. 5/2 One of the conditions of the steer-wrestling contests is that the contestants will suffer a ‘ten-second fine’ for ‘loosening or knocking off horns’.
1923 N.Y. Times 11 Aug. 16/4 Steer Wrestlers Here. Twenty-three contestants in the ‘steer-wrestling’ or ‘bull-dogging’ competitions..arrived in New York yesterday.
1924 Glasgow Herald 17 June 9 The ‘steer-roping’, which at Saturday's display met with some public disapproval, was withdrawn.
1968 R. F. Adams Western Words (rev. ed.) 305/1 Steer wrestling, one of the five standard rodeo events; also called bulldogging. The contestant rides alongside a running steer, jumps from his saddle to the steer's head, stops it, and twists it to the ground with its head and all four feet pointing in the same direction.
1976 Billings (Montana) Gaz. 16 June 1- c/3 University of Wyoming steer wrestler Shawn Madden took an early lead in the second go-round of steer wrestling, throwing his animal in 3.67 seconds.
1979 Sunset Apr. 6/3 Horses will compete in 36 classes, including calf and steer-roping events.
C2.
steerhide n. North American the hide of a steer; spec. leather made from this or from the hide of a similar beast.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > skin or hide > [noun] > skin of bull, cow, or ox
bull-hidec1275
oxhidec1350
bull-skinc1400
ox-skin?a1450
huddron1592
cowhide1640
cow-skin1780
steerhide1921
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > leather > [noun] > leather from ox, cow, or buffalo
neat's leather?a1425
buff-leather1574
buff-hide1589
buff-skin1589
cowhide1728
robe1761
Grecian leather1852
crop1858
crop-leather1858
steerhide1921
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > leather > [adjective] > made of or relating to other types of leather
cheverel1515
cordovan1591
dog's-leather1611
dogskin1612
red leather1618
buffen1629
shagreen1677
buffa1706
undressed1808
patent leather1818
jacked1841
mocha1895
steerhide1921
1921 Jrnl. Amer. Leather Chemists Assoc. May 295 (heading) On certain characteristics of fresh steer hide.
1925 J. R. Arnold Hides & Skins ii. 32 The thickest part of a steer hide is over the rump.
1948 H. G. Kates Luggage & Leather Goods Manuf. 184 Steerhide leather is extensively used because of its adaptability to tooling.
1979 PN Rev. IX. 39/1 All winter your brute shoulders strained against collars, padding and steerhide over the ash hames.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1916; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

steern.2

Forms: Old English stéor, stýr, Middle English steore, Middle English ster, Middle English–1500s stere, Middle English stiere, Middle English–1500s Scottish steir, 1500s Scottish steyr, 1500s–1600s steare, 1600s stear, Middle English–1600s steere, Middle English–1600s steer.
Etymology: Old English stéor (also stýr ) strong feminine, action of guiding or governing (also, correction, punishment); a neuter *stéor rudder is inferred from the combination stéoresman steersman n. The immediate Germanic cognates are: Old Frisian stiure, Middle Low German stûre (whence late Middle High German stiure, modern German steuer), Middle Dutch stûre, stiere (modern Dutch stuur), Old Norse stýri neuter, rudder, stern ( < Germanic type *steurjo-m); Old High German stiura strong feminine, rudder, stern, also (and probably originally) staff ( < Germanic type *steurjō); a different ablaut grade of the root (*steu-) is found in Old Norse staur-r pole, stake (compare Greek σταυρός cross).
Obsolete except in combinations.
1. The action of directing or governing; guidance, control, rule, government. to have, take the steer (of a country, etc.). Of the presumed literal sense, action of steering, no example is known. In 15–16th centuries senses 1 and 2b are not easy to distinguish.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > control > [noun]
steera900
governaila1382
governancea1393
controlment1495
moderation1526
control1583
command1642
whip-handle1861
whip-hold1895
a900 tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (1890) iv. v. 278 Þætte nænig biscop oðres biscopes scire inswoge, ac þætte he þoncful sy steore [v.r. styre] him þæs bibodenan folces [L. sed contentus sit gubernatione creditae sibi plebis].
c1000 Ælfric in Old Eng. Hom. I. 304 Fela beoð stuntnyssa þær nan steor [c1175 Lamb. Hom. 117 steore] ne bið.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 3418 Ilc of ðe .v. steres-men Vnder hem welden in stere tgen.
1423 Kingis Quair 130 Tak him before In all thy gouernance, That in his hand the stere has of ȝou all.
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid viii. viii. 127 My son Pallas..Exhort I wald to tak the steyr on hand.
?1553 (c1501) G. Douglas Palice of Honour (London) ii. l. 875 in Shorter Poems (1967) 60 Caliope..sche of nobillis fatis hes the stere [1579 Edinb. steir] Till wryt thair worschyp, victory and prowes.
1558 in J. D. Marwick Extracts Rec. Burgh Edinb. (1873) III. 21 To haue the steir reull and gouernance of the toun.
1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1895) II. 179 How sune he began to tak the steir of the Realme.
2.
a. A rudder, helm.Not in Old English; Anglo-Norman had estiere, presumably from English, early in the 13th cent. (Marie de France, Eliduc 866).
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > [noun]
steerc1290
tacklea1300
apparel1330
farec1330
habiliments1483
outred1489
furniture1577
apparelling1795
c1290 S. Mary Magd. 175 in S. Eng. Leg. 467 Huy weren in .A. schip i-pult with-outen ster and ore.
c1305 Land Cokayne 154 Þe ȝung nunnes takith a bote And doth ham forth in that riuer Bothe with oris and with stere.
1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. viii. 35 For ȝif he ne arise þe rather and rauȝte to þe stiere, Þe wynde wolde wyth þe water þe bote ouerthrowe.
c1385 G. Chaucer Legend Good Women 2416 And with a wawe brostyn was his stere.
c1430 Pilgr. Lyf Manhode (1869) iv. vi. 178 In swimmynge he streccheth his wynge and maketh þer of a seil and a steere.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 276/1 Stere or roder in a shyp, gouernail.
a1568 Bannatyne MS (Hunterian Club) 290 We sailit in storme, but steir, gyde or glas, To Paradice.
a1625 H. Mainwaring Nomenclator Navalis (Harl. 2301) Steare.
b. figurative or in figurative context.
ΚΠ
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 15258 Forr itt iss sett her att te ster To sterenn baþe þoþre.
c1386 G. Chaucer Man of Law's Tale 735 In hym triste I, and in his mooder deere, That is to me my seyl, and eek my steere.
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 60 For whanne I may my lady hiere, Mi wit with that hath lost his Stiere.
a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 121 Thy ransonner with woundis fyve Mak thy plycht anker and thy steiris.
1621 R. Burton Anat. Melancholy i. ii. iii. xv. 183 They commonly respect their own ends, commodity is the steer of all their actions.
1640 E. Reynolds Treat. Passions xxxix. 516 Judgement is the Ballace to Poise, and the Steere to guide the course.
c. Put by synecdoche for: Ship, boat.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > [noun]
shipc725
beamOE
boardOE
bargea1300
steera1300
vessela1300
treea1382
loomc1400
man1473
ark1477
bottom1490
keela1547
riverboat1565
craft1578
pine1592
class1596
flood-bickerer1599
pitchboard1599
stern-bearer1599
wooden horse1599
wooden isle1603
water treader?1615
water house1616
watercraft1618
machine1637
prore1642
lightman1666
embarkation1690
bark1756
prowa1771
Mudian1813
bastiment1823
hooker1823
nymph1876
M.F.V.1948
a1300 K. Horn 101 Þaruore þu most to stere..To schupe schulle ȝe funde.
a1300 K. Horn 1373 Hi comen vt of stere.
d. on, in steer: astern.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > parts of vessels > body of vessel > rear part of vessel > in the rear (of) [phrase]
on, in steerc1374
a sternc1500
on stern1616
astern of1634
in wake of1711
c1374 G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde v. 641 Toward my deth with wynd in stere I sayle.
1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) ix. l. 234 With-out tary than mon ȝhe stryk on ster.
3. A plough-handle. (Cf. steer-tree n. (b) at Compounds.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > tools and implements > ploughing equipment > [noun] > plough > plough-tail or stilt
startOE
stiltc1340
plough-start1440
tail1466
plough handle?c1475
steer-tree1483
plough stilt?1523
plough-tail?1523
stilking?1523
steer1552
hale?1570
stive1693
plough-tree1799
by-tail1879
1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Stere for the ploughe, trio.

Compounds

See also starboard n., adj., and adv., steerman n.
steer-oar n. an oar used at the stern for steering a boat.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > steering equipment > [noun] > steering oar
ruddereOE
steering scull1420
strothirc1460
swape1592
steer-oar1802
steering-oar1816
oar-rudder1844
oar-helm1883
1802 Naval Chron. 9 293 To take the steer-oar.
1882 G. S. Nares Seamanship (ed. 6) 162 A steer oar must be used to steer the boat.
† steer-staff n. Obsolete a tiller.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > steering equipment > [noun] > helm > tiller
steer-staffa1382
key?c1400
steer-tree1483
tillera1625
thwartship tiller1897
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Prov. xxiii. 34 Thou shalt ben..as the steris man al forslept, the steer staf lost [L. amisso clavo].
steer-tree n. †(a) a tiller; (b) a plough-handle (now dialect).
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > tools and implements > ploughing equipment > [noun] > plough > plough-tail or stilt
startOE
stiltc1340
plough-start1440
tail1466
plough handle?c1475
steer-tree1483
plough stilt?1523
plough-tail?1523
stilking?1523
steer1552
hale?1570
stive1693
plough-tree1799
by-tail1879
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > steering equipment > [noun] > helm > tiller
steer-staffa1382
key?c1400
steer-tree1483
tillera1625
thwartship tiller1897
1483 Cath. Angl. 361/2 A Stere tre, stiua, regimen.
a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. iii. 43 Wife, tent the stere-tre, And I shall asay The depnes of the see That we bere, if I may.
1562 in J. Raine Wills & Inventories N. Counties Eng. (1835) I. 207 x pleughe heads, vj plewe sheares, ij steretres.

Draft additions January 2011

† steer-rudder n. Obsolete a rudder; spec. a helm, a tiller; also figurative. Cf. strothir n.
ΚΠ
eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Hatton) (1871) lvi. 433 Gif se stiora his stiorroðor [L. clavum] gehilt, ðonne cymð he orsorglice to lande.
eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Otho) (2009) I. xxii. 488 Eac [þu] sædes ðætte God wiolde ea[ll]ra gesceafta mid ðæm stiorroðre his goodnesse [L. bonitatis clavo].
OE Brussels Gloss. in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 288 Gubernaculum, steorroþur.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1916; most recently modified version published online June 2021).

† steern.3

Forms: Old English stéora, stíora, stíera, Middle English stere, Middle English–1500s steere, 1500s Scottish steir.
Etymology: Old English stéora weak masculine = Old High German stiuro (Middle High German stiure , stûre ) < Germanic type *steurjon- , related to steer n.2
Obsolete.
A steersman, helmsman; transferred a ruler or controller.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > control > person in control > [noun] > director
mastereOE
steerc897
ordainerc1443
director1477
rector1482
sayer1483
orderer1496
solicitera1530
temperator1591
ordinator1615
sternera1634
dirigent1756
chargé d'affaires1797
quarterback1931
c897 K. Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care lvi. 431 Swelce se stiora slepe on midre sæ, & forlure ðæt stiorroður.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 3413 Al bi ðhusenz ðis folc was told; Ilc ðhusent adde a meister wold, And vnder ðis tgen steres ben, Ilc here on hundred to bi-sen.
c1386 G. Chaucer Man of Law's Tale 350 He that is lord of Fortune be thy steere.
a1500 Lancelot of Laik (1870) 1020 She is here, That of thi lyue and of thi deith is stere.
1568 A. Scott Poems (1896) xv. 25 Sweit maistres,..Steir, rewll, and gyder of my senssis richt.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1916; most recently modified version published online March 2021).

steern.4

Etymology: Origin unknown; perhaps some error.
rare.
? A pile (of wood). The word is not used in the corresponding passage of the earlier Acts, 7 & 8 Geo. IV. c. 30 §17 and 9 Geo. IV. c. 56 §18.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > arrangement or fact of being arranged > state of being gathered together > an assemblage or collection > [noun] > mass formed by collection of particles > an accumulation > heap or pile > of wood or stones
steer1837
1837 Act 7 William IV & 1 Victoria c. 89 §10 Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously set fire to any Stack of Corn, Grain,..Charcoal or Wood, or any Steer of Wood, shall be guilty of Felony.
1861 Act 24 & 25 Victoria c. 97 §17 Any steer of Wood or Bark.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1916; most recently modified version published online March 2018).

steern.5

/stiːə/
Etymology: < steer v.1
slang (originally U.S.).
A piece of advice or information; a tip, a lead. (See also quot. 1970.)
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > information > [noun] > piece of
somewhatc1175
communication1481
informationa1527
intelligence1570
adviso1591
intelligencies1623
data1645
footnote1711
steer1899
mail1975
1899 C. H. Hoyt Texas Steer (typescript) iv. 21 You're going back to Texas to give the voters of my district a steer. What's that steer to be?
1902 H. L. Wilson Spenders xxxi. 363 He not only tried to hedge on what he told me..but he actually had the nerve to give me the opposite steer.
1919 T. K. Holmes Man from Tall Timber xxx. 374 That girl from New York gave me the right steer, I do believe.
1924 G. C. Henderson Keys to Crookdom 399 Bum steer, poor advice.
1926 Flynr's 16 Jan. 638/2 An' divvy with th' crooked barkeep for a steer or some kind of a tip if th' stunt panned out ok.
1935 L. E. Lawes Cell 202, Sing Sing iv. 553 You're both on the wrong steer..thinkin' about the devil when all the while it's the man himself deserves your attention.
1959 ‘M. M. Kaye’ House of Shade x. 127 All I've done is to give you a wrong steer, and make bad worse.
1970 D. Francis Rat Race vi. 79 I'd have to go round the Luton complex…could probably get a steer home from there, from the twenty-four hour radar.
1982 Times 21 Apr. 16/1 Steers from Smiths Industries on its financial performance are obviously worth listening to.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1916; most recently modified version published online September 2019).

steeradj.

Brit. /stɪə/, U.S. /stɪ(ə)r/
Forms: Middle English, 1800s stere, Middle English ster, ? sterre, Middle English, 1800s steer, 1600s steare.
Etymology: Apparently representing Old English *stére (Early West Saxon *stíere ) = Old High German stiuri , stûri strong, proud, Middle Low German stûr stiff, severe, stern < Germanic type *steurjo- , usually referred to the Indogermanic root *st(h)eu- to be fixed or rigid: compare steer n.1, steer n.2
Obsolete exc. Scottish and dialect (see Eng. Dial. Dict.).
1. Strong, stout.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > bodily constitution > bodily strength > [adjective]
mightyeOE
strongOE
bigc1300
boldc1300
fort13..
steer13..
steevec1300
valiant1303
stalwortha1340
fortin1340
strengthfula1382
stout1390
pithya1400
tora1400
mighteda1470
strengthyc1485
forcy1488
nervy1598
nervous1616
whipcordy1856
Tarzanesque1933
Tarzan-like1943
the world > action or operation > manner of action > violent action or operation > [adjective] > specifically of natural agencies
starkeOE
steer13..
savagea1393
wightc1400
violentc1425
rageousc1450
bolda1522
masterfula1522
shouldering1747
the world > plants > by growth or development > defined by good growth > [adjective] > strong, vigorous, or plump
strongOE
thriftyc1440
well-brawneda1450
valiant1542
pubble1566
stout1573
corroborate1581
bunting1584
lusty1600
plump1600
vegetous1610
blought1611
boisterous1622
stocky1622
robust1627
steera1642
vegete1655
jollya1661
vigorous1706
well-to-do1852
13.. Ipotis 440 (Vernon MS.) in Horstm. Altengl. Leg. (1881) 346 Beten wiþ scourges stronge and ster.
c1415 Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 125 Stedes ther stumbelyd in that stownde, That stod stere stuffed under stele.
c1425 Noah's Ark in N. Davis Non-Cycle Plays & Fragm. (1970) 19 With storms both stiff and steer.
c1450 Guy Warw. 662 Then came the dewke Raynere, An hardy knyght and a stere.
a1642 H. Best Farming & Memorandum Bks. (1984) 53 Wheare the oates have beene steare and much scattered.
†2. ? Staunch, steadfast in affection (to another).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > affection > [adjective] > steadfast or constant in affection
steadfastc1175
stablea1300
steera1300
constant1606
a1300 K. Horn (Cambr.) 1344 He luueþ him so dere, & is him so stere.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1916; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

steerv.1

Brit. /stɪə/, U.S. /stɪ(ə)r/
Forms: Old English stíeran, ( ge)stéoran, stéran, stíoran, stíran, stýran, Middle English isteoran, isteoren, stieran, Middle English ste(o)ren, Orm. ste(o)renn, Middle English–1600s stere, Middle English stiere, ( sture), Scottish steyr, Middle English ster, Middle English–1600s steere, Middle English–1700s Scottish steir, Middle English steare, Middle English–1500s styre, 1500s stir(e, 1500s–1600s stirre, stear (1500s archaic ysteare), 1600s sterre, Middle English– steer. past tense Middle English stierde, Middle English steorede, Middle English sterd, steryd, Middle English stered, Scottish sterit, 1500s–1600s steard, 1700s steird. past participle Old English gestíored, Middle English steerid, sterede, stierd, Middle English stered, 1500s Scottish steirt.
Origin: A word inherited from Germanic.
Etymology: Common Germanic: Old English stíeran = Old Frisian stiura , Middle Low German stûren , (Middle) Dutch sturen , stíeren , Old High German, Middle High German stiuren (modern German steuern ), Old Norse stýra (Swedish, Norwegian styra , Danish styre ) < Germanic *steurjan , < *steurō rudder, steer n.2A verb of identical form, Germanic *steurjan < *steurjo- strong, rigid (see steer adj.), appears in Gothic stiurjan to establish, to affirm. It is possible that the Old English sense ‘to rebuke’ may belong to a verb < the Germanic adjective.
1.
a. transitive. To guide the course of (a vessel) by means of a rudder, or of an oar or paddle used like a rudder.Now occasionally in wider sense, to guide (a vessel) by other mechanical means, e.g. by a propeller or arrangement of sails.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > steering > steer [verb (transitive)]
steera1122
stretchc1275
lead1377
stern1577
helm1607
rudder1856
steer1873
a1122 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) ann. 1046 Up þæs cynges scipe þe Harold eorl ær steorde.
a1200 Vices & Virtues 43 [Noe] hie [sc. ða arche] swa stierde on ðe muchele wilde flode..ðat [etc.].
c1330 R. Mannyng Chron. Wace (Rolls) 14099 To þer schipes þey gaf þer tent To stere þem boþe fer & hende.
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 59 Thei conne noght here Schipes stiere, So besiliche upon the note Thei herkne.
1400 26 Polit. Poems i. 65 Whanne a fool stereth a barge, Hym self and al the folke is shent.
1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes They were many to steere a passage-boate.
a1647 P. Pette in Archaeologia (1796) 12 268 The ship wrought exceeding well and was so yare of conduct that a foot of helm would steer her.
1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson iii. v. 342 The proa generally carries six or seven Indians; two of which are placed in the head and stern, who steer the vessel alternately with a paddle according to the tack she goes on.
1815 J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art II. 183 In steering a vessel, it has been usual for the helmsman to have one compass, and the captain in his cabin to have another.
1853 C. M. Yonge Heir of Redclyffe II. i. 8 Martin had best steer it, he knows the rocks.
1909 Edinb. Rev. July 219 No less impossible than to steer a boat without taking a seat in it.
In figurative context.c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 15259 Forr itt iss sett her att te ster To sterenn baþe þoþre.1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 11 Lo, thus was Petres barge stiered Of hem that thilke tyme were.?1499 J. Skelton Bowge of Courte (de Worde) sig. Aiv She that styreth the shyp make her your frende.1577 Gosson in Kirton's Mirr. Mans Lyfe K viij The prime of youth, whose greene vnmellowd yeres..sets vp saile, and sternlesse ships ysteares.1645 J. Howell Epistolæ Ho-elianæ vi. lviii. 87 Unlesse wisdom sit at the Helm and steer the Intellectuals.1663 S. Butler Hudibras: First Pt. i. i. 67 For whatsoe're we perpetrate, We do but row, w'are stear'd by Fate.1911 H. Craik Life Ld. Clarendon I. ii. 60 He steered his bark through the dangerous eddies with consummate skill.
b. transferred. Of animals.
ΚΠ
1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (1495) v. liv. 171 In foules wyth clouen fete the fote is nedefull to ledynge, styrynge and rulynge in waters.
1657 J. Rowland tr. J. Johnstone Hist. Wonderful Things of Nature 233 He [the squirrel] takes the bark of a Tree..and sets it on the water, sitting in it, and stears it with his Tail lifted up, and so the wind carries him over.
1873 H. B. Tristram Land of Moab vii. 131 Without a perceptible movement of their wings, only their long tails gently steering them in and out.
c. To guide (a vessel) to a specified point or in a specified direction.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > direct or manage ship [verb (transitive)] > set a ship's course > direct vessel on certain course
steer1470
haul1589
stem1594
head1826
1470–85 T. Malory Morte d'Arthur xviii. xix. 760 Lete me be putte within a barget & but one man with me suche as ye trust to stere me thyder.
1574 W. Bourne Regim. for Sea (1580) 78 Nowe for to set any course to stirre the ship vpon any place appoynted.
1781 W. Cowper Charity 25 When Cook..Steer'd Britain's oak into a world unknown.
1850 Ld. Tennyson In Memoriam ci. 158 We steer'd her toward a crimson cloud. View more context for this quotation
1876 J. G. Holland Story of Sevenoaks (new ed.) x. 133 Jim steered his boat around a little bend and in a moment it was running in shallow water.
†d. To work (the rudder). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > steering > steer [verb (transitive)] > work the rudder
steerc1570
c1570 in J. Cranstoun Satirical Poems Reformation (1891) I. xxx. 57 In trublous time yow micht haif steirt ye ruther.
1609 P. Holland tr. Ammianus Marcellinus Rom. Hist. xxvi. i. 284 For tenne dayes space there was none to steere the helm of the Empire.
e. to steer a, one's course: (a) literal of a helmsman or a navigator, to guide a vessel along a certain course; also of the vessel (cf. 2d); (b) transferred and figurative.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > steering > steer [verb (intransitive)]
steerc897
stretchc1275
steer1340
stern14..
to steer a, one's course1602
helm1607
1602 J. Marston Antonios Reuenge iv. i. sig. G2 He beares an vnturnd sayle with euery winde: Blowe East, blowe West, he stirs his course alike.
1644 in F. P. Verney & M. M. Verney Mem. Verney Family 17th Cent. (1907) I. 325 Those particulars that first induced me to steere this course.
1650 T. Hubbert Pilula 193 If they have not Christ Jesus for their Pilot to steere their course for them, they must certainly sinke.
1660 F. Brooke tr. V. Le Blanc World Surveyed 248 Intending to take ship at Alexandria, and steer the course for Italy.
1709 T. Robinson Vindic. Mosaick Syst. 49 in Ess. Nat. Hist. Westmorland & Cumberland The Magnet..which guides him to steer his Course through these vast Expansions of Water.
1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson iii. i. 302 It blew from the S.W, and consequently was directly opposed to the course we wanted to steer.
1756 C. Lucas Ess. Waters iii. 174 Let us learn to steer the middle course.
1764 T. Harmer Observ. Passages Script. ii. 59 Deserts where the Arabs alone know how to steer their course.
1822 W. Hazlitt Men & Manners (1869) 2nd Ser. v. 113 You must steer a middle course.
1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Steer her course, going with the wind fair enough to lay her course.
1873 W. Black Princess of Thule xxii. 358 To see that the boat was steering her right course.
†f. reflexive. = to steer one's course. Also in passive, to be guided (by the compass, etc.) in steering.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > aspects of travel > travel in specific course or direction > direct one's course [verb (reflexive)]
turnc1175
stretcha1225
bowc1275
steer1399
straighta1400
ready?a1425
purposec1425
address1436
applya1450
shape1480
make1488
aima1500
bound1821
society > travel > aspects of travel > guidance in travel > guide, lead, or show the way [verb (intransitive)] > be guided
steer1647
1399 W. Langland Richard Redeles iv. 80 Ne had þei striked a strake and sterid hem þe better,..Þey had be þrowe ouere þe borde backewarde ichonne.
1647 J. Cleveland Poems in Char. London-diurnall (Wing C4662) 37 The Card by which the Mariners are stear'd.
2.
a. absol. and intransitive. To guide a vessel by means of a rudder or the like.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > steering > steer [verb (intransitive)]
steerc897
stretchc1275
steer1340
stern14..
to steer a, one's course1602
helm1607
c897 K. Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care ix. 59 Swiðe eaðe mæg on smyltre sæ ungelæred scipstiera genoh ryhte stieran.
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 312 He that behinde sat to stiere Mai noght the forestempne hiere.
?1518 Cocke Lorelles Bote sig. C.jv Some stered at the helme behynde Some whysteled after the wynde.
1587 J. Higgins Mirour for Magistrates (new ed.) Severus viii Who takes to raygne the scepter in his hand, Is like to him, in sterne to stirre that sits.
1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage 745 Some of their men were starued, the rest all so weake, that onely one could lie along vpon the Helm and sterre.
1762 W. Falconer Shipwreck ii. 35 Two skilful Helmsmen on the poop to steer.
1839 H. Malcom Trav. (1840) 45/1 Boats lie before the town, literally in thousands... The wife steers, while the husband rows.
1883 Cent. Mag. Sept. 655 Even the men whose work lies ashore..can steer and reef on a pinch.
In figurative context.1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1895) II. 155 The Prior of S. Androis elected Bischop..intendis in thair contrare to steir and row, with diligens.1682 J. Flavell Righteous Man's Refuge in Pract. Treat. Fear (new ed.) 202 Let God Steer for you in a Storm.
b. intransitive in passive sense. Of a ship: To admit of being steered; to answer the helm (well or ill).
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > action or motion of vessel > [verb (intransitive)] > be steered > admit of being steered (well or ill)
answer1552
steer1627
1627 J. Smith Sea Gram. ix. 40 Foundering is when she will neither veere nor steare.
1669 S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. i. ii. 18 The Ship will Stear the better when you sit all quiet.
1692 Smith's Sea-mans Gram. (new ed.) i. xvi. 83 The Ship..does not steer steddy.
1829 Ann. Reg., Chron. 127/1 She pulls six oars; has two lug sails; steers either with a scull or rudder.
1880 Times 25 Dec. 7/4 The ship..Steers well under all circumstances.
c. Of a navigator: To guide a vessel in a certain direction; to sail or row towards a specified place.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > direct or manage ship [verb (intransitive)] > head in a certain course or direction
steer1340
stem1487
capea1522
lie1574
put1578
bear1587
rut1588
haul1589
fetch1590
standa1594
to stand along1600
to bear away1614
work1621
to lay up1832
society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > steering > steer [verb (intransitive)]
steerc897
stretchc1275
steer1340
stern14..
to steer a, one's course1602
helm1607
1340–70 Alex. & Dind. 185 Þanne whitli þe weiht ouur þe watur sterus, And þe lettrus to his lord ledus ful sone.
c1614 W. Mure Wks. I. 64 The Ile no sooner to their eyes appear'd, Till thither Palinure their pilote steir'd.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ii. 1020 Or when Ulysses on the Larbord shunnd Charybdis, and by th' other whirlpool steard . View more context for this quotation
1669 S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. ii. vi. 67 You may estimate the Min. but you cannot Steer by a whole Deg.
1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant i. 270 We steered South-west till Sunday.
1743 J. Bulkeley & J. Cummins Voy. to South-seas 116 We came to sail, and steer'd out of the Lagoon West.
1781 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall III. i. 128 They steered by the guidance of the stars.
1797 Encycl. Brit. III. 599/2 But failing of this, they steered to Jamaica.
1799 Monthly Rev. 30 134 (note) They seized a canoe, and steered along shore.
1840 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece VII. lix. 325 He set sail from Ephesus..and steered direct for Athens.
1871 B. Taylor tr. J. W. von Goethe Faust II. ii. iii. 182 They have left the place, Steering away to Samothrace.
1874 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People vii. §6. 407 The daring adventurer steered undauntedly for the Moluccas.
figurative.1640 T. Carew Poems 37 Love is the Pilot, but o're-come with feare Of your displeasure, dares not homewards steare.a1674 J. Milton To C. Skinner upon his Blindness in Lett. State (1694) p. xlviii Yet I..still bear up, and steer Right onward.1674 W. Temple Let. in Wks. (1731) II. 297 I knew he was a great Man, but could not tell yet, to what Points of the Compass he intended to steer.1675 Ld. Danby in C. E. Pike Essex Papers (1913) II. 22 Though itt bee very difficult to steere amongst so many rocks of faction, without striking upon some.
d. Of a ship: To be guided by the helm in a certain direction.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > action or motion of vessel > [verb (intransitive)] > be steered
steer1667
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ix. 515 As when a Ship..where the Wind Veres oft, as oft so steers, and shifts her Saile. View more context for this quotation
1669 S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. i. ii. 18 You have the Ship as at first, steering under all her Canvas.
1720 A. Ramsay Prospect of Plenty 156 Vers'd in the critic seasons o' the year, When to ilk bay the fishing-bush should steer.
1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson ii. x. 247 The galeon..steers for the latitude of 13° or 14°.
1839 F. Marryat Phantom Ship I. xii. 282 The Batavia steered into the roads.
1885 Law Times Rep. 53 60/1 The Chusan was steering E. by S., and proceeding at the rate of about ten knots.
e. to steer large (or small): see quots. 18671, 18672.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > steering > steer [verb (intransitive)] > steer in specific manner
to steer large (or small)1834
1834 M. Scott Cruise of Midge v, in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. July 32/2 The frigate was steering large, about a mile on our lee-bow.
1846 A. Young Naut. Dict. 319 To steer small, means to steer steadily without putting the helm too much to either side. To steer large, is the reverse.
1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Steer Large, to go free, off the wind. Also, to steer loosely.
1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Steer Small, to steer well and within small compass, not dragging the tiller over from side to side.
f. to steer clear of: chiefly figurative, to avoid completely.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > distance > distance or farness > be far from [verb (transitive)] > keep at a distance from something
overboweOE
forbowa1000
large1511
cleara1616
to keep awaya1616
to steer clear of1723
to give a good, clear, or (usually since 1800) wide berth to1753
keep a wide berth of1855
the world > action or operation > inaction > not doing > abstaining or refraining from action > abstain or refrain from (action) [verb (transitive)] > avoid or shun > have nothing to do with
to avoid (also shun, etc.) like the plague1699
to steer clear of1723
I wouldn't touch it (also him, her, etc.) with a ten-foot (also forty-foot) pole1838
to have no truck with1866
to leave or let severely alone1880
I wouldn't touch him (or it) with (the end of) a bargepole1890
ice1932
1723 D. Defoe Hist. Col. Jack (ed. 2) 82 We would have Steer'd clear of them, and car'd not to have them see us if we could help it, but they did see us, and cry'd, Who comes there?
1789 W. Belsham Ess. I. xviii. 338 Of tame acquiescence in vulgar opinion..Walpole..has steered perfectly clear.
1804 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 12 415 It is incumbent on them..whilst they steer clear of Scylla, to beware they do not fall into Charybdis.
1809 B. H. Malkin tr. A. R. Le Sage Adventures Gil Blas I. iii. vii. 408 I steered clear of Hortensia.
1838 W. H. Prescott Hist. Reign Ferdinand & Isabella II. i. xviii. 175 Columbus..had been instructed..to steer clear of all Portuguese settlements on the African coast.
1884 Manch. Examiner 11 June 5/5 Mr. Marshall spoke with good humour, and steered clear alike of levity and acerbity.
1893 J. A. Hodges Elem. Photogr. (1907) 68 Enabling him to steer clear of some of these [difficulties].
3. transitive. In extended sense, to guide something that is in motion. In various applications.
a. To guide (a chariot, a horse, cattle, etc.).In modern racing parlance the sense is a new development from sense 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > cause to move in a direction [verb (transitive)]
steerc888
righteOE
wisec1330
guy1362
makea1425
guide?a1505
to make forth1508
direct1526
to make out1560
bend1582
incline1597
work1667
usher1668
head1826
humour1847
vector1966
target1974
c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxxvi. §iii Se stiorð þam hrædwæne eallra gesceafta.
1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) vi. 334 Thar may no man haf worthy hede, Bot he haf wit to steir his stede.
a1568 Wyf of Auchtermuchty 100 in Bannatyne MS. (Hunterian Club) 345 Scho..stowtly steird the stottis abowt.
1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene iii. viii. sig. Kk5v His charett swifte in hast he thether steard.
1844 A. W. Kinglake Eothen xxi. 329 I steered my dromedary close up alongside of the mounted Bedouin.
1850 R. Gordon-Cumming Five Years Hunter's Life S. Afr. II. xix. 59 The native who led the long team..suddenly turned the leading oxen short towards the river's bank, thus rendering it impossible for the driver to steer his after-oxen.
1884 Longman's Mag. Apr. 605 It may be that he is going to steer his own animal in the race for which it is being prepared.
1890 D. Davidson Mem. Long Life iv. 92 Tapp was the jockey..and ‘steered him to victory’.
b. To guide (a plough).
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > breaking up land > ploughing > plough (land) [verb (transitive)] > guide plough
steer?a1500
a1500 R. Henryson tr. Æsop Fables: Fox, Wolf, & Husbandman l. 2232 in Poems (1981) 85 Thair wes ane husband quhilk had ane plewch to steir.
1724 A. Ramsay Tea-table Misc. (1733) I. 29 Twa good stilts to the pleugh And ye your sell maun steer.
1758 M. Akenside Odes ii. xi. 9 The conquerors..fed Calabrian flocks, and steer'd the Sabine plough.
1914 Daily News 25 Feb. 2 He feeds the pigs and steers the plough.
c. To guide the course of (a vehicle, a bicycle, a balloon, etc.) by mechanical means; to guide (a floating object) by taking advantage of a current.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > driving or operating a vehicle > drive a vehicle [verb (transitive)] > steer
wisec1330
guy1362
guide?a1505
steer1756
society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > driving or operating a vehicle > drive a vehicle [verb (transitive)] > steer > by mechanical means
steer1756
society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > steering > steer [verb (transitive)]
steera1122
stretchc1275
lead1377
stern1577
helm1607
rudder1856
steer1873
1756 tr. J. G. Keyssler Trav. I. 189 These sledges hold only two, the traveller and the guide, who sits forward steering with a stick.
1788 W. Cowper Dog & Water Lily 18 With cane extended far I sought To steer it close to land.
1873 G. C. Davies Mountain, Meadow & Mere xi. 91 A plague of gnats..doubly unpleasant when steering a bicycle along rutty lanes.
1910 Encycl. Brit. I. 269/2 Santos Dumont..won the Deutsch prize by steering a balloon from St. Cloud round the Eiffel Tower and back in half an hour.
d. To guide, lead, ‘pilot’ (a person) through a crowd, along an intricate path, etc. Also absol. Also (U.S. slang) to manœuvre or decoy (a person) to a place, or into doing something.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > aspects of travel > guidance in travel > show (the way) [verb (transitive)] > guide, lead, or show one the way
to show the waya1382
reduct1580
directa1616
inform1637
manuduct1641
pilot1649
set1678
airt1782
steer1859
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > snare, trap, entanglement > entrap, ensnare [verb (transitive)] > into a place, action, etc.
betrayc1250
weyec1315
deceivea1375
to draw out1579
fond1628
drill1662
seduce1673
surprise1696
to rope into1859
forset1872
steer1889
1859 Habits Good Society v. 210 It is the gentleman's duty to steer, and in crowded rooms nothing is more trying.
1889 Cent. Dict. Bunko-steerer, that one of the swindlers called bunko-men who allures or steers strangers to the bunko-joint or rendezvous.
1891 C. Roberts Adrift in Amer. 159 I don't thank you very much for steering me up against such a job.
1911 C. F. Hamilton in United Empire June 383 There is little or no suggestion that he is sent to ‘steer’ us, as an American would say.
1915 Sketch 16 June 227/1 I..shook hands with old Lemann, and steered him into the smoking-room.
4.
a. intransitive. To shape one's course (on land, in the air). Also transitive with cognate object.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > aspects of travel > travel in specific course or direction > direct one's course [verb (intransitive)]
thinkeOE
bowa1000
seta1000
scritheOE
minlOE
turnc1175
to wend one's wayc1225
ettlec1275
hieldc1275
standc1300
to take (the) gatec1330
bear?c1335
applyc1384
aim?a1400
bend1399
hita1400
straighta1400
bounc1400
intendc1425
purposec1425
appliquec1440
stevenc1440
shape1480
make1488
steera1500
course1555
to make out1558
to make in1575
to make for ——a1593
to make forth1594
plyc1595
trend1618
tour1768
to lie up1779
head1817
loop1898
society > travel > aspects of travel > travel in specific course or direction > direct (one's course, steps, etc.) [verb (transitive)] > shape one's course
steer1667
society > travel > aspects of travel > travel in specific course or direction > direct (one's course, steps, etc.) [verb (transitive)]
stretcha1225
turnc1275
ready?a1400
seta1400
incline?c1400
apply?a1425
raika1500
rechec1540
make1548
address1554
frame1576
bend1579
to shape one's course1593
intend1596
tend1611
direct1632
steer1815
a1500 Lancelot of Laik (1870) 3430 And brandymagus chargit he to stere Efter hyme, within a lytill space.
1633 C. Farewell East-India Colation 45 [The elephant] steeres like a hulke, stifnecked, almost all of one peice.
1645 J. Milton On Christ's Nativity: Hymn xv, in Poems 8 Mercy..With radiant feet the tissued clouds down stearing.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost i. 225 Then with expanded wings he stears his flight Aloft. View more context for this quotation
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost vii. 430 So stears the prudent Crane Her annual Voiage. View more context for this quotation
?c1670 Hist. Tom Thumb iii. 104 in W. C. Hazlitt Remains Early Pop. Poetry Eng. (1864) II. 237 But Tom cry'd in a merry mood: Unto the King we'll steer.
1700 T. Brown Amusem. Serious & Comical ii. 11 Let's Steer for the Court, for that's the Region which will furnish us with the finest Lessons.
a1701 H. Maundrell Journey Aleppo to Jerusalem (1703) 132 Here steering Northerly directly up the Valley.
1725 A. Ramsay Gentle Shepherd i. ii Driven frae house and hald, where will ye steer?
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth V. 32 The quails..steer their flight back to enjoy in Egypt the temperate air.
1792 R. Burns Poems & Songs (1968) II. 664 At noon the fisher takes the glen, Adown the burn to steer.
1815 W. Wordsworth White Doe of Rylstone v. 83 She..oft her steps had hither steered.
1828 E. Bulwer-Lytton Pelham I. xxix. 254 The Frenchman..bowed, and drew himself aside. Vincent steered by.
1837 W. Irving Adventures Capt. Bonneville I. 111 He was bravely steering his way across the continent.
1887 J. Ball Notes Naturalist in S. Amer. 128 Passing the houses, I at once steered for the rocky slopes behind.
1897 R. S. S. Baden-Powell Matabele Campaign xvi. 429 I steered by moon and time until I thought I was near Enkeldoorn.
b. Of an inanimate thing: To travel in a set course.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > move in a certain direction [verb (intransitive)]
goeOE
wendOE
makeOE
aim?a1400
to make one's waya1425
reflect1547
work1566
to make up1596
path1597
sway1600
tend1648
vergea1661
steer1693
1693 R. Bentley Boyle Lect. viii. 25 The Winter of the Year, when the Sun was the nearest of all, and steer'd directly over mens heads.
1830 F. Marryat King's Own II. ii. 18 The moon..was high in the heavens, steering for the zenith in all her beauty.
a1861 A. H. Clough Poems & Prose Remains (1869) II. 466 Thou busy sunny river;..Through woodlands steering, with branches waving above thee.
†c. transitive. To direct one's course towards (a place). Obsolete (? nonce-use.)
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > aspects of travel > travel in specific course or direction > direct (one's course, steps, etc.) [verb (transitive)] > be bound for or head for
drawc1275
to-hieldc1275
roama1375
pretend1481
pursue1488
to make forth1508
to be in gate to1548
to make to ——a1568
to make unto ——1593
to be for1606
to set one's face for (from, to, towards)1611
steer1667
head1880
hit1889
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost x. 328 Satan..Betwixt the Centaure and the Scorpion stearing His Zenith. View more context for this quotation
†5. To check, restrain, control. In Old English also: To rebuke. (In Old English the object is in the dative.) Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > restraint or restraining > restrain [verb (transitive)]
pindeOE
steerc950
hold971
forbidc1000
withstewc1175
withholdc1200
stewa1225
crempa1250
bistintc1300
i-stillc1315
withdraw1340
entemperc1380
rebukec1380
forfenda1382
refraina1382
refrainc1390
restraina1393
restayc1400
retainc1415
to hold abackc1440
overholda1450
reclaim?c1450
revokec1450
bedwynge1480
sniba1500
repressa1525
rein1531
inhibit1535
to keep back1535
cohibit1544
reprimec1550
lithe1552
to rein up1574
check1581
embridle1583
to rein in1593
retrench1594
refrenate1599
to hold back1600
snip1601
becheck1605
sneap1611
trasha1616
supersede1645
reprimand1689
snape1691
to clap a guy on1814
to pull up1861
to pull in1893
withstrain1904
c950 Lindisf. Gosp. Mark viii. 30 Forbead vel stiorde vel stiorend wæs him [L. comminatus est eis].
971 Blickl. Hom. 19/5 Seo menigo styrde þæm blindan þæt he cleopode.
c1000 Sax. Leechd. II. 192 Wið magan bryne & þurste; wlaco wæter menge wið þone selestan ele, sele drincan, þæt styrð þam þurste.
a1225 St. Marher. 9 Þu steorest te sea stream þæt hit fleden ne mot fir þan þu markedest.
a1300 K. Horn (Cambr.) 434 ‘Lemman’ he sede ‘dere, Þin herte nu þu stere’.
c1385 G. Chaucer Legend Good Women 935 And fyr so wod it myȝ te nat been steerid In al the noble toure of ylioun.
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 122 So that thou myht thi tunge stiere.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 4295 Thoru strengh o luue þat nan mai stere.
c1400 (?c1380) Patience l. 27 Þay ar happen also þat con her hert stere.
1423 Kingis Quair 194 His tong for to reule[n] and to stere.
c1440 Bone Flor. 825 The lady swowned, and was full woo, Ther myght no man hur stere.
a1500 Frere & Boy (c1512) A ij b All that may the pype here Shall not themselfe stere But laugh and lepe aboute.
c1640 R. Davenport Surv. Sci. in Wks. (1890) 325 Rhethorick..whose sweete tongue Can steere the stubborn'st hart.
†6.
a. To guide (a person, his conduct) by admonition or counsel. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > control > [verb (transitive)] > guide
wieldeOE
steera1000
wisc1000
wiseOE
turnc1175
kenc1200
conduec1330
dressc1330
govern1340
addressc1350
guidea1400
conducec1475
conduct1481
rectifya1500
besteer1603
helm1607
engineer1831
beacon1835
a1000 Ælfric Homilies I. 320 He nolde mid his to-cyme ða synfullan fordeman,..Ærest he wolde us mid liðnysse styran [c1175 Lamb. Hom. 95 isteoren] þæt he siððan mihte on his dome us gehealdan.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 14705 To wurrþenn herrsumm..Till alle þa þatt hafenn þe. To ȝemenn & to sterenn.
a1225 Juliana 30 Festne mi bileaue steor me ant streng me.
12.. Prayer to Virgin 30 in Old Eng. Misc. Bricht and scene quen of storre..in þis false fikele world so me led and steore.
1362 W. Langland Piers Plowman A. ix. 42 He strengþeþ þe to stonde he stureþ þi soule.
1655 T. Stanley Hist. Philos. I. iii. 57 Euripides is steer'd by Socrates.
†b. to steer off: to guide away from some opinion. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > motivation > demotivation > demotivate [verb (transitive)] > dissuade
revoke1447
dehorta1533
dishort1549
dissuade?c1550
charma1592
wean1607
to steer off1662
remonstrate1819
dispersuade1951
1662 H. More Antidote against Atheism (ed. 3) i. i. 9 in Coll. Philos. Writings (ed. 2) The attempt of endeavouring to steer them off from Atheisme.
1681 H. More Plain Expos. Daniel Pref. p. xv When men see so palpable a correspondency..they will be steared off from conceiving any such sense.
†c. To conduct (one's life). Also reflexive.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > behave, conduct, or bear oneself [verb (intransitive)]
i-bereeOE
workeOE
makeOE
fere1154
walka1200
steera1250
to take onc1275
fare1340
to fare with oneself1340
containa1375
to let latesa1400
usea1400
dealc1400
rulea1425
act1593
comport1616
carry1650
deport1667
demean1678
behave1721
conduct1754
to carry on1828
the world > action or operation > behaviour > behave or conduct oneself [verb (reflexive)]
wieldOE
leadc1175
bear?c1225
steera1250
to take onc1275
contain1297
to shift one's handa1300
demeanc1320
guyc1325
govern1340
keep1362
havec1390
rulec1390
guide14..
conceivea1425
maintain?a1425
maynea1425
behavec1440
disporta1450
orderc1487
use1497
handle?1529
convey1530
gesture1542
treat1568
carry1584
deport1598
bestow1606
comport1616
mienc1680
conduct1706
the world > action or operation > behaviour > follow (a course of behaviour) [verb (transitive)]
followOE
pursue1638
steer1699
a1250 Prov. Alfred 562 Ȝif..þu ne moȝe mid strenghe þeselwen steren.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 19822 Fott him to þe, he sal þe lere, Al o þi lijf, hu þou sal stere.
1673 W. Cave Primitive Christianity i. ix. 271 He..by Letters gave them [his sons] counsels for the steering themselves.
1699 T. Cockman tr. Cicero Offices i. xxxiv. 117 By whose Counsel and Direction they may steer their Lives.
†d. Of reasons, indications, influences: To guide. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > control > [verb (transitive)] > guide > of reasons or indications
steer1649
1649 in E. Nicholas Papers (1886) I. 135 I am confident..his fathers last desires and commands will steere our yong King right.
a1652 J. Smith Select Disc. (1660) i. iii. 17 Their life being steerʼd by nothing else but opinion and Imagination.
1652 W. Blith Eng. Improver Improved ix. 63 Therefore in every new work some triall would be made of all materials, and therein thou must be steered by those the very place affords, whether Stone, Chalk, Wood, or Earth, or all.
a1683 J. Owen Disc. Holy Spirit (1693) 262 So as to be steered thereby in his Work.
e. intransitive. To direct one's course of action (by guiding indications). Often, to find a safe course between two evils or two extremes.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > behave, conduct, or bear oneself [verb (intransitive)] > direct one's course of action
goa1393
steer1658
the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > absence of prejudice > be unbiased [verb (intransitive)] > take a middle course
to middle it1648
steer1658
to have a foot in both camps1935
1658 Sir T. Browne Hydriotaphia: Urne-buriall ii. 24 If we steer by the conjecture of many and Septuagint expression; some trace thereof [sc. burial of treasures] may be found.
1670 W. Temple Let. in Wks. (1731) II. 224 By his Advice his Highness resolves to steer in the Course of his Affairs and Motions relating to England.
1697 J. Dryden Ded. Æneis in tr. Virgil Wks. sig. e4v I thought fit to steer betwixt the two Extreams, of Paraphrase, and literal Translation.
a1718 M. Prior Paulo Purganti 57 Her Prudence did so justly steer Between the Gay and the Severe.
c1721 in 10th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1885) App. i. 198 I have been now two years on this side [of the water] but still steer'd snugg and clear that I might preserve my credit and safety at home.
1722 W. Wollaston Relig. of Nature iii. 51 Rational animals should use their reason, and steer by it.
1769 W. Robertson Hist. Charles V III. viii. 103 How he should steer in that difficult and arduous conjuncture.
1818 H. Hallam View Europe Middle Ages II. viii. 409 The rolls of parliament, by whose light we have hitherto steered.
1858 W. Greener Gunnery in 1858 309 I am quite satisfied to steer between extremes.
†7.
a. To govern, rule. Obsolete except as conscious metaphor (figurative use of sense 1). to have to steer: to have under one's command.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > rule or govern [verb (transitive)]
steera900
hold971
wieldOE
warda1000
redeOE
wisc1000
i-weldeOE
rightlecheOE
rightOE
raima1325
governc1325
guyc1330
rulea1387
justicec1390
rekea1400
reigna1413
lorda1450
earlc1450
seignoryc1475
over-govern1485
overrulec1488
emperyc1503
gubern?a1505
signorize1594
sway1613
gubernate1623
overlead1720
belord1858
prime minister1906
a900 tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (1890) iv. xii. 300 Twegen biscopas [wæron] on his stowe gesette..þæt wæs Boosa, se styrde [v.r. steorde] Dera mægðe, & Eata Beornicea.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 3679 He þatt all þiss weorelld shop. & alle shaffte stereþþ.
a1300 E.E. Psalter ii. 9 In yherde irened salt þou stere þa.
a1400 Launfal 684 Be god, that all may stere.
c1430 Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 117 Thre thousand knightes he had to stere.
1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) v. l. 920 Off kyn he was and Wallace modyr ner; Off Craufurd syd that mydward had to ster.
1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) i. 38 Alexander the King..That Scotland haid to steyr and leid.
a1500 R. Henryson tr. Æsop Fables: Lion & Mouse l. 1578 in Poems (1981) 63 To reule and steir the land, and iustice keip.
a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 120 All are gone, At will of God, that all thing steiris.
a1601 W. Lambarde Dictionarium Angliae Topographicum (1730) 42 One of the most wise..Princes that ever stered this common Weale.
1633 J. Ford Broken Heart iv. ii. sig. K Neuer liu'd Gentleman of greater merit, Hope, or abiliment to steere a kingdome.
1678 R. Cudworth True Intellect. Syst. Universe i. v. 878 Some will from hence be apt to infer, That there is no God at all, but that blind Chance and Fortune steer all.
†b. To manage, administer (government); to conduct (business, negotiations, etc.). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > control > [verb (transitive)] > manage or administer
steerc888
leadc1175
guyc1330
guidec1374
governa1382
ministera1382
treat1387
administer1395
dispose1398
skift?a1400
warda1400
solicit1429
to deal with1469
handlea1470
execute1483
convoy?a1513
conveyc1515
mayne1520
to bear (a person or thing) in (also an, a, on) handa1522
keepa1535
administrate1538
solicitate1547
to dispose of1573
manure1583
carry1600
manage1609
negotiate1619
conduct1632
to carry on1638
mesnage1654
nurse1745
work1841
operate1850
run1857
stage-manage1906
ramrod1920
c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xvii Þæt ic..gerisenlice mihte steoran & reccan þone anwald þe me befæst wæs.
a1225 Leg. Kath. 10 Maxence steorede þe refschipe in Rome.
c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 58 The quhilk sterit ane Emperouris estate jn his tyme.
1702 Clarendon's Hist. Rebellion I. i. 57 The great Persons, who steer'd the Publick affairs.
†c. To keep in order (a crowd). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > control > [verb (transitive)] > regulate
dightc1230
ordainc1300
raila1350
regulate?a1425
arrayc1440
ordinance1440
order1509
direct?1510
regolate1585
reigle1591
ordinate1595
qualify1597
steer1616
govern1806
police1885
1616 J. Lane Contin. Squire's Tale xi. 248 For whome large space was made by th' marshallers, gardantes, and tipp staves, which the people stears.
†d. intransitive. To have charge of. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > control > [verb (transitive)] > have charge of
redeOE
steer13..
agyea1450
rulea1500
tend?1521
to have, take, give (the) charge of1611
work1841
13.. Seuen Sages 894 In that forest woned an herd, That of bestes loked an sterd.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1916; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

steerv.2

Brit. /stɪə/, U.S. /stɪ(ə)r/
Etymology: < steer n.1
rare.
transitive. To make a steer of, castrate (a calf).
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping of cattle > [verb (transitive)] > castrate
steer1886
1886 Daily Tel. 18 Oct. (Cassell) The male calves are steered and converted to beef.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1916; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1a700n.2eOEn.3c897n.41837n.51899adj.a1300v.1c888v.21886
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