stereles

Middle English

Alternative forms

• steerelees, steereles, sterelees, sterles, stiereles, stierlees
• steoreleas, steorles (Early Middle English)

Etymology

Inherited from Old English stēorlēas; by surface analysis, stere (“rudder, control”) +‎ -les (“-less”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsteːr(ə)lɛːs/, /ˈsteːr(ə)lɛs/

Adjective

stereles

1. (uncommon, nautical, often figurative) Having no rudder; uncontrolled or ungoverned.
   • late 14th century, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Man of Law's Tale, The Canterbury Tales, line 438-441:

     And Custance han they take anon, foot-hoot,
     And in a shippe al sterelees, god woot,
     They han hir set, and bidde hir lerne sayle
     Out of Surrye agaynward to Itayle.

     And Custance have they taken right then, immediately,
     And in a ship entirely without a rudder, God knows,
     They have set her, and told her to learn to sail
     Out of Syria back to Italy.

Descendants

• English: steerless

Further reading

• “stẹ̄relē̆s, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved October 15, 2022.