sternward

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adjective

Towards the stern, aft.

OriginProto-Germanic *wardaz ← Proto-Indo-European *wert- ← English stern →
Scrabble 13
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Meanings

adjectivesternward (comparative more sternward, superlative most sternward)

comparative more sternward · superlative most sternward

  1. Towards the stern, aft.

    winds from sternward Bore us out onward with bellying canvas […]

    1925, Ezra Pound, Canto I
adverbsternward (comparative more sternward, superlative most sternward)

comparative more sternward · superlative most sternward

  1. sternwards

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
aftward

Origin

  1. Englishstern
  2. Proto-Indo-European*wert-
  3. Proto-Germanic*wardaz
  4. Englishsternward

From stern + -ward.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

sternward. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sternward

MLA

“sternward.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sternward. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sternward,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sternward.

Source: sternward on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.