Stearn

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. An archaic spelling of stern, describing a person or manner that is harsh, strict, or severe in tone
2. An old variant of the word stern, used of someone who is grim, unyielding, or forbidding in character
3. Obsolete form of stern meaning hard, austere, or unforgiving, especially in look, bearing, or treatment of others

Etymology: "Stearn" is an English surname, a variant spelling of "Stern." Surnames like this were usually settled in their spelling by scribes and parish clerks who wrote names as they heard them, so one family's name could appear with several spellings over the centuries. The root behind it is the Old English adjective "stierne," meaning severe, hard or forbidding in manner, which later gave modern "stern." The shared origin explains why the two spellings sound the same and mean the same thing: the surname keeps the older-looking spelling, while "stern" settled into the standard form.

Synonyms: stern, severe

Antonyms: gentle, kind