step-wise /'stepwaiz/ adj. 1 in a series of steps, rather than continuously M0&J;        2 {music i§j (of a

melody $6^) moving in a way that uses only the notes that are next to each other in a scale ( Scis $1 )

-ster suffix (in nouns |&j j$; g, iSI) a person who is connected with or has the quality of A       (g A;

^ • • • pr M ^ A: gangster 3E ¥ 0 ik M 0 youngster A &A

stereo /'steriau; NAmE -ou/ noun {pi. -os) 1 (also 'stereo system) [c] a machine that plays CDs, etc., sometimes with a radio, that has two separate speakers so that you hear different sounds from each

& car/personal stereo AJE / tAt/Arffl

0                  Let’s put some music on the stereo. $7 & A W B|«]

^BE0 2 [U] the system for playing recorded music, speech, etc. in which the sound is directed through two channels    ug ( %£% ) : to broad­

cast in stereo U tL W A A t# —compare mono n.(l)

►                stereo (also forma I stereo-phon-ic /.steria'fnmk; NAmE -'fainik/) adj. [only before noun] : stereo sound

—                compare quadraphonic

stereo-scop-ic /.steria'sknpik; NAmE -'skaipik/ adj.

1                  {technical Ai^-j able to see objects with length, width

and depth, as humans do : stereoscopic

vision         2 (of a picture, photograph, etc. HI IK

M it W) that is made so that you see the objects in it with length, width, and depth when you use a special machine    EEEIthree-D

stereo-type /'steriataip/ noun, verb m noun a fixed idea or image that many people have of a particular type of person or thing, but which is often not true in reality        MU

it A: cultural/gender/racial stereotypes A A Aft £g / j£Ii](g /       IB 41 If o He doesn’t conform to the usual

stereotype of the businessman with a dark suit and brief­case.          ifAA&ift

iAf to ► stereotypical /.steria'tipikl/ adj. : the stereotypical image of feminine behaviour AXAttfrA

■ verb [VN*] [often passive] ~ sb (as sth) to form a fixed idea about a person or thing which may not really be true ( nmmit ) fg#&: Children from certain backgrounds tend to be stereotyped by their teachers.

A A ' fc'f 4o o Why are professors stereotyped as absent-minded? Aft A&AfRvg

►                stereo-typed adj.: a play full of stereotyped characters A it:.# ^ A ft A $ $ Jg(J Stereo-typ-ing noun [U] : sexual stereotyping ]£|]ij ^^Alft

ster ile /'sterail; NAmE 'steral/ adj. 1 (of humans or animals A $L if) $j) not able to produce children or young animals X ik X If Eg ; X # Eg H33 infertile

—                compare fertile(2) 2 completely clean and free

from bacteria A M Eg; H Eg: sterile bandages # H^ o sterile water          it 3 (of a discussion, an

argument, etc. it A, #"i6^) not producing any useful result A£p AW;  033 fruitless: a

sterile debate     4 lacking individua1

personality, imagination or new ideas JiJ^Eg; A Aft Eg;     : The room felt cold and sterile. IP # |h]

it Ail % PI  0 He felt creatively and

emotionally sterile,     g      iaAXi&^Ait

Egi&tf 0 5 (of land ± It) not good enough to produce crops || If #1 ► ster-il-ity /sta'rilati/ noun [U] : The disease can cause sterility in men and women. ^

W ft A Sfc A k A W c <> the meaningless sterility of statistics Ijtifft^Eg   Agt o She contemplated the

sterility of her existence, ftkigil# g BAitAWlgA/So ster il ize (erf also -ise) /'steralaiz/ verb [VN] 1 [often passive] to kill the bacteria in or on sth AM; jiffe: to sterilize surgical instruments tn X # A A M $ h* 0 sterilized milk/water /$MIiEg / A 2 [usually passive] to make a person or an animal unable to have babies, especially by removing or blocking their sex organs ► ster-il-iza-tion, -isation /.steralai'zeijn; NAmE -la'z-/ noun [U, C]

ster-il-izer (erf also -iser) /'steralaiza(f)/ noun a ma­chine or piece of equipment that you use to make

1979

objects or substances completely clean and free from bacteria          AMfi

ster ling /'st3:lirj; NAmE ‘steirlir)/ noun, adj. mnoun [U] the money system of Britain, based on the pound ( 5^ S rf5 ) : the value of sterling fff ft o You can be paid in pounds sterling or American dollars. HltiflfftAil, AW Attf^AAo

2                  adj: [usually before noun] {formal) of excellent quality it Eg ; A tBEg : He has done sterling work on the finance committee.

,sterling 'silver noun [U] silver of a particular standard of purity        )

stern /st3:n; NAmEst3irn/ adj., noun

3                  adj. (stern-er, stern-est) 1 serious and often disap­

proving; expecting sb to obey you A.WEg; nfM; ic A I1) A IS M. lA - 033 strict : a stern face/expression/ look       / ^ff / g A o a stern warning rmtf)

o Her voice was stern. t&P0 o The police are planning sterner measures to combat crime. HAlEfiJiT A A fM W fn A A A1 'A Atl o 2 serious and difficult A ; AAf'f (g: We face stern opposition. ^flliSJiJ# ► sternly adv. stern-ness noun [\J] ITiT?il be made of sterner 'stuff to have a stronger character and to be more determined in dealing with problems than other people        #1BA$j!£A

4                  noun the back end of a ship or boat |&    — picture

o pages R2, R4 —compare bow1 n.{2), poop n.{ 1) dm see stem n.

sternum /'st3:nam; NAmE 'st3:rnam/ noun {pi. ster-nums or sterna /-na/) {anatomy ffl) the breastbone |i) #

►                picture o body

ster-oid /'steroid; BrE also 'stiar-; NAmE also 'stir-/ noun a chemical substance produced naturally in the body. There are several different steroids and they can be used to treat various diseases and are also sometimes used illegally by people playing sports to improve their performance. Mtikitffffi;,

stetho-scope /'steSaskaup; NAmE -skoop/ noun an instrument that a doctor uses to listen to sb’s heart and breathing

stet son (BrE) {NAmE Stetson™) /'stetsn/ noun a tall hat with a wide brim, worn especially by American cow­boys  k\m

steve-dore /'sti:vado:(r)/ noun a person whose job is moving goods on and off ships S^IA;

►                see also docker

stew /stju:; NAmE stu:/ noun, verb m noun [U, C] a dish of meat and vegetables cooked slowly in liquid in a container that has a lid M W M > 'H £g M {     ) : beef stew and dumplings AfIMiAA 0

I’m making a stew for lunch.      Afeo iT^I get

(yourselfj/be in a stew (about/over sth) {informal) to become/feel very anxious or upset about sth ( AS

bMMfL

m verb 1 to cook sth slowly, or allow sth to cook slowly, in liquid in a closed dish      [VN] stewed apples £6

0 [V] The meat needs to stew for two hours. ;&$]# 0 — see also stewed 2 [V, usually +adv./prep.] to think or worry about sth jgvif ; fi fjc : 7Ve been stewing over the problem for a while.

),£ f -£JL <> Leave him to stew, itffe g AJL0 fTSffil let sb stew in their own juice (informal) to leave sb to worry and suffer the unpleasant effects of their own actions it^A g # g k.

stew-ard /'stjuiad; NAmE 'stuiard/ noun 1 a man whose job is to take care of passengers on a ship, an aircraft or a train and who brings them meals, etc. (       A

#tl5cAX±$J )        ® A S 2 a person who helps to

organize a large public event, for example a race, public meeting, etc. (■&$$,

MA 033 marshal 3 a person whose job is to arrange for the supply of food to a college, club, etc. 4 A ^, 4R A rP (g ) it # ^ S M— see also shop steward 4 a person employed to manage another person’s property, especially a large house or land ( M.