Brewer's: Stern

To sit at the stern; At the stern of public affairs. Having the management of public affairs. The stern is the steer-ern- i.e. steer-place; and to sit at the stern is “to sit at the helm.”

“Sit at chiefest stern of public weal.”

Shakespeare: 1 Henry VI., 1. i.

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language