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# sterling

noun (sterling; uncountable); adjective (sterling)

«sterling» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Sterling is the money of the United Kingdom; its main unit is the pound (£). «Pound sterling» is its full name. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sterling/#m1)
2. Sterling silver is silver that is 92.5% pure. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sterling/#m2)
3. Sterling (adjective) means excellent and reliable: sterling work, a sterling effort. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sterling/#m3)

### In the lessons

Money and maths: in the UK, prices are in pounds sterling: £1 = 100 pence. Exchange rates show how many dollars or euros you get for one pound. Everyday praise (UK): «You've done sterling work» means very good work. Jewellery: sterling silver often has a little stamp, 925.

### Examples

- The price is given in pounds sterling. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sterling/#x1)
- £1 sterling is worth 100 pence. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sterling/#x2)
- Grandma's necklace is sterling silver. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sterling/#x3)
- The volunteers did sterling work at the fair. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sterling/#x4)
- We changed our sterling into euros for the trip to Ireland. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sterling/#x5)
- The goalkeeper made a sterling save. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sterling/#x6)
- Sterling is one of the oldest currencies still used. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sterling/#x7)

### Note

The money name is not capitalised: sterling, pound sterling. The symbol £ goes before the number: £5, not 5£. Note: in Ireland (the Republic), the money is the euro; Northern Ireland uses sterling.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «sterling» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sterling/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«sterling» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/sterling.html) on Mova free.