sterve

English

Verb

sterve (third-person singular simple present sterves, present participle sterving, simple past and past participle sterved)

1. 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

Alternative forms

• sterwe, stearwe (Moselle Franconian)

Etymology

From Middle High German sterven, northern variant of sterben, from Proto-Germanic *sterbaną.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃtɛʀvə/

Verb

sterve (third-person singular present stirv or sterv, past tense storv, past participle jestorve)

1. (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

• 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

Verb

sterve

1. (dated or formal) singular present subjunctive of sterven

Anagrams

• streve, veters, vreest

Middle English

Verb

sterve

1. Alternative form of sterven

Noun

sterve (uncountable)

1. Alternative form of steorve

Scots

Verb

sterve

1. To die, perish