Obs. exc. in Comb. Forms: 1 stéor, stýr, 2 steore, 2–5 ster, 2–6 stere, 4 stiere, 4–6 Sc. steir, 6 Sc. steyr, 6–7 steare, 7 stear, 4–7 steere, 5–7 steer. [OE. stéor (also stýr) str. fem., action of guiding or governing (also, correction, punishment); a neut. *stéor rudder is inferred from the comb. stéoresman STEERSMAN. The immediate Teut. cognates are: OFris. stiure, MLG. stüre (whence late MHG. stiure, mod.G. steuer), MDu. stûre, stiere (mod.Du. stuur), ON. stýri neut., rudder, stern (:—OTeut. type *steurjo-m); OHG. stiura str. fem., rudder, stern, also (and prob. originally) staff (:—OTeut. type *steurjō); a different ablaut grade of the root (*steu-) is found in ON. staur-r pole, stake (cf. Gr. σταυρός cross).]
1. The action of directing or governing; guidance, control, rule, government. Phr. to have, take the steer (of a country, etc.).
Of the presumed literal sense, action of steering, no example is known. In 15–16th c. senses 1 and 2 b are not easy to distinguish.
c. 900. trans. Bæda’s Hist., IV. v. (1890), 278. Þætte næniʓ biscop oðres biscopes scire inswoʓe, ac þætte he þoncful sy steore [v.r. styre] him þæs bibodenan folces [sed contentus sit gubernatione creditae sibi plebis].
c. 1000. Ælfric, in O. E. Hom., I. 304. Fela beoð stuntnyssa þær nan steor [c. 1175 Lamb. Hom., 117 steore] ne bið.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 3418. Ilc of ðe .v. steres-men Vnder hem welden in stere tgen.
1423. James I., Kingis Q., 130. Tak him before In all thy gouernance, That in his hand the stere has of ȝou all.
1501. Douglas, Pal. Hon., II. xii. Calliope … scho of nobill fatis hes the steir, To write thair worschip, victorie and prowes. Ibid. (1513), Æneis, VIII. viii. 127. My son Pallas … Exhort I wald to tak the steyr on hand.
1558. Extracts Burgh Rec. Edin. (1873), III. 21. To haue the steir reull and gouernance of the toun.
1596. Dalrymple, trans. Leslie’s Hist. Scot., II. 179. How sune he began to tak the steir of the Realme.
2. A rudder, helm.
Not in OE.; Anglo-Fr. had estiere, presumably from English, early in the 13th c. (Marie de France, Eliduc 866).
c. 1290. S. Mary Magd., 175, in S. Eng. Leg., 467. Huy weren in .A. schip i-pult with-outen ster and ore.
c. 1305. Land Cokayne, 154. Þe ȝung nunnes takith a bote And doth ham forth in that riuer Bothe with oris and with stere.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. VIII. 35. For ȝif he ne arise þe rather and rauȝte to þe stiere, Þe wynde wolde wyth þe water þe bote ouerthrowe.
c. 1385. Chaucer, L. G. W., 2416. And with a wawe brostyn was his stere.
c. 1430. Pilgr. Lyf Manhode, IV. vi. (1869), 178. In swimmynge he streccheth his wynge and maketh þer of a seil and a steere.
1530. Palsgr., 276/1. Stere or roder in a shyp, gouernail.
a. 1568. Bannatyne MS. (Hunter. Club), 290. We sailit in storme, but steir, gyde or glas, To Paradice.
a. 1625. Nomenclator Navalis (Harl. MS. 2301), Steare.
b. fig. or in fig. context.
c. 1200. Ormin, 15258. Forr itt iss sett her att te ster To sterenn baþe þoþre.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Man of Law’s T., 735. In hym triste I, and in his mooder deere, That is to me my seyl, and eek my steere.
1390. Gower, Conf., I. 60. For whanne I may my lady hiere, Mi wit with that hath lost his Stiere.
1500–20. Dunbar, Poems, Memento, homo, 46. Thy Ransonner, with woundis fyve, Mak thy plycht anker and thy steiris.
1621. Burton, Anat. Mel., I. ii. III. xv. 183. They commonly respect their own ends, commodity is the steer of all their actions.
1640. Reynolds, Passions, xxxix. 516. Judgement is the Ballace to Poise, and the Steere to guide the course.
c. Put by synecdoche for: Ship, boat.
a. 1300. K. Horn, 101. Þaruore þu most to stere … To schupe schulle ȝe funde. Ibid., 1373. Hi comen vt of stere.
d. On, in steer: astern.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Troylus, V. 641. Toward my deth with wynd in stere I sayle.
c. 1470. Henry, Wallace, IX. 110. With out tary than mon yhe stryk on ster.
3. A plow-handle. (Cf. steer-tree b.)
1552. Huloet, Stere for the ploughe, trio.
4. Comb.: steer oar, an oar used at the stern for steering a boat; † steer-staff, a tiller; steer-tree, † (a) a tiller; (b) a plow-handle (now dial.). See also STARBOARD sb., STEER-MAN.
1802. Naval Chron., IX. 293. To take the *steer-oar.
1882. Nares, Seamanship (ed. 6), 162. A steer oar must be used to steer the boat.
1382. Wyclif, Prov. xxiii. 34. Thou shalt ben … as the steris man al forslept, the *steer slaf lost [amisso clavo].
c. 1460. Towneley Myst. iii. 433. Wife, tent the *stere-tre, and I shalle asay The depnes of the see that we bere, if I may.
1483. Cath. Angl., 361/2. A Stere tre, stiua, regimen.
1562. Wills & Invent. N. C. (Surtees, 1835), I. 207. x pleughe heads, vi plewe sheares, ij steretres.
