sterne of þe see
Middle English
Etymology
Calque of Latin Stella Maris, an epithet for the Virgin Mary. Arose as a scribal mistranscription of stilla maris ("drop of the sea"), which in turn was an interpretation of Mary's name in Aramaic, Maryam, as Hebrew מר (mar, "drop") + ים (yam, "sea").
Proper noun
sterne of þe see
- (Christianity) The Virgin Mary, the mother of Christ.
Related terms
- sterre of þe see
- sterne of sternes
References
- “sterne (n.1)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 10 August 2018.