sterrë

Albanian

Disputed. Possibilities include:

An expressive prefixal derivative of terr (“darkness”).^[1]
Identical to sterrë / sterë / sternë (“underground cistern”). The factor that links the two is its darkness for someone looking from above.^{[n 1]}^[2]
Metathesis of an unattested *cerrë / *cernë, borrowed from Serbo-Croatian crn / црн (“black”).^[3]

sterrë (feminine sterrë)

pitch dark
u nxi qielli, u bë sterrë
(please add an English translation of this usage example)
jet black
- 1878, Auguste Dozon, Manuel de la langue Chkipe ou Albanaise, Paris, page 107:
  Vétœ e bárdhœ é kóka stérhœ
  [Vetë e bardhë e koka sterrë]
  (please add an English translation of this quotation)
(figuratively) evil, dirty
Synonyms: i zi, i përlyer

e ka ndërgjegjen sterrë
(please add an English translation of this usage example)

sterrë

This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

^ Compare pus (“well for water”) which is used with the same meaning in expression such as u nxi koha, u bë pus. This is backed by geographical data where the two occur together; mainly in Southern Toskë.

From sternë.

sterrë f (plural sterra, definite sterra, definite plural sterrat)

^ Orel, Vladimir E. (1998) “sterrë”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden, Boston, Köln: Brill, →ISBN, page 402
^ Eqrem Çabej (1965) “Studime rreth etimologjisë së gjuhës Shqipe XIX”, in Studime filologjike, page 58
^ Meyer, G. (1891) “ster̄ε”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch der albanesischen Sprache [Etymological Dictionary of the Albanian Language] (in German), Strasbourg: Karl J. Trübner, →DOI, page 392