·noun The black tern.
II. Stern ·vt The hinder part of anything.
III. Stern ·vt Fig.: The post of management or direction.
IV. Stern ·adj Being in the stern, or being astern; as, the stern davits.
V. Stern ·vt The helm or tiller of a vessel or boat; also, the rudder.
VI. Stern ·vt The tail of an animal;
— now used only of the tail of a dog.
VII. Stern ·vt The after or rear end of a ship or other vessel, or of a boat; the part opposite to the stem, or prow.
VIII. Stern ·superl Having a certain hardness or severity of nature, manner, or aspect; hard; severe; rigid; rigorous; austere; fixed; unchanging; unrelenting; hence, serious; resolute; harsh; as, a sternresolve; a stern necessity; a stern heart; a stern gaze; a stern decree.