Posted 02/16/2011 01:57 am
The etymology of "sterling" is not entirely certain, but it appears it may have had something to do with numismatics. "Sterling" may be derived from "esterling" or "easterling", meaning "coming from the East" - and in Dark Age Britain, "the East" means continental Europe. The fine silver penny was first introduced in Europe under Frankish king Pepin in 735 AD and spread further under emperor Charlemagne in the early 800s, and pretty soon the locals in Britain were striking coins to the "easterling standard". By the time of the Norman conquest, "esterling silver" seems to have been widely understood in Norman territory to mean the silver fineness of the penny coinage. In 1158, "sterling silver" was formally defined by English king Henry II as .925 fineness.
The etymology is confused somewhat by the later arrival in Britain of severely debased imitation pennies from continental Europe, particularly the areas around what are now the Netherlands and Belgium. These were known as "esterlins".
The etymology is confused somewhat by the later arrival in Britain of severely debased imitation pennies from continental Europe, particularly the areas around what are now the Netherlands and Belgium. These were known as "esterlins".
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
