sterve
English edit
Verb edit
sterve (third-person singular simple present sterves, present participle sterving, simple past and past participle sterved)
- Obsolete form of starve.
- 1591, Ed[mund] Sp[enser], “Prosopopoia. Or Mother Hubberds Tale.”, in Complaints. Containing Sundrie Small Poemes of the Worlds Vanitie. […], London: […] William Ponsonbie, […], →OCLC:
- Ah (ſaid the Ape as ſighing wondrous ſad) / Its an hard caſe, when men of good deſeruing / Muſt either driuen be perforce to ſteruing, / Or asked for their pas by euerie ſquib: […]
- a. 1631 (date written), J[ohn] Donne, “The Storme. To Mr. Christopher Brooke.”, in Poems, […] with Elegies on the Authors Death, London: […] M[iles] F[lesher] for Iohn Marriot, […], published 1633, →OCLC, page 57:
- Mildly it [the wind] kiſt our ſailes, and, freſh, and ſweet, / As, to a ſtomack ſterv'd, whoſe inſides meete, / Meate comes, it came; and ſwole our ſailes, when wee / So joyd, as Sara' her ſwelling joy'd to ſee.
Central Franconian edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From Middle High German sterven, northern variant of sterben, from Proto-Germanic *sterbaną.
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
sterve (third-person singular present stirv or sterv, past tense storv, past participle jestorve)
- (Ripuarian) to die
- Wä am Jalleje sterve soll, dä weed em Rhing nit versuffe.
- He who’s meant to die on the gallows won’t drown in the Rhine. (Old fatalistic proverb)
Usage notes edit
- The third-person singular has /i/ or /e/. The past tense has /o/. The past participle has usually /ɔ/, but may also be heard with /o/.
Dutch edit
Verb edit
sterve
Anagrams edit
Middle English edit
Verb edit
sterve
- Alternative form of sterven
Noun edit
sterve (uncountable)
- Alternative form of steorve
Scots edit
Verb edit
sterve