I. ster ‧ ling 1 /ˈstɜːlɪŋ $ ˈstɜːr-/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Origin: sterling 'silver penny' (13-19 centuries) , probably from an unrecorded Old English steorling 'coin with a star on it' , from steorra ; ⇨ ↑ star 1 ]
1 . ( also Sterling ) the standard unit of money in the United Kingdom, based on the pound
2 . ( also ˌsterling ˈsilver ) silver that is at least 92% pure
II. sterling 2 BrE AmE adjective [only before noun]
very good:
Ella has done some sterling work.
He has sterling qualities.