sternum (English)

Where does "sternum" come from?

The English noun 'sternum' was borrowed from New Latin 'sternum'[1]. That New Latin form traces back to Latin, which borrowed the Ancient Greek word 'στέρνον'[2], meaning 'breast, chest; breastbone'[2]. The Ancient Greek term developed from the Proto-Indo-European form '*stér(h₃)-no-m', which stems from the root '*sterh₃-', meaning 'to be broad, spread out'[4] or representing an extension of '*ster-' meaning 'to spread'[3]. Additionally, related cognates include Old English 'steorn' and German 'Stirn', both meaning 'forehead'.

Open questions

• The Proto-Indo-European root '*ster-' is suggested to be related either to a root meaning 'to be stiff, rigid, unmoving, strong' or to a more poorly supported root meaning 'to rob'. [5]

Full etymology tree

• sternum (English), 'The breastbone, consisting of the manubrium, gladiolus, and xiphoid process.'
  • borrowed sternum (Latin), 'The breastbone.'
    • borrowed στέρνον (stérnon) (Ancient Greek), 'A breast, chest.'
      • derived *stér(h₃)-no-m (Proto-Indo-European)
        • derived *sterh₃- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to spread, extend, stretch out'
          • derived *ster- (Proto-Indo-European), 'barren, infertile'

Ancestors

• sternum (Latin)
• *sterh₃- (Proto-Indo-European)

Cognates and doublets

• Stirn (German)
• steorn (Old English)

Descendants and derived words

• coxosternum (English)
• entosternum (English)
• episternum (English)
• furcasternum (English)
• hyosternum (English)
• hyposternum (English)
• mesosternum (English)
• metasternum (English)
• omosternum (English)
• presternum (English)
• prosternum (English)
• sternal (English)

Sources

1. sternum (English) - Wiktionary
2. sternum (Latin) - Wiktionary
3. sterh₃- (Proto-Indo-European) - Wiktionary
4. στέρνον (stérnon) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
5. ster- (Proto-Indo-European) - Wiktionary

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris