From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsterlingster‧ling1 /ˈstɜːlɪŋ $ ˈstɜːr-/ noun [uncountable] 1 PEC (also Sterling) the standard unit of money in the United Kingdom, based on the pound2 (also sterling silver) silver that is at least 92% pure
Examples from the Corpus
sterling• We at Novartis will lead in £ sterling but will be prepared to offer in euros if asked.• The rate for the pound sterling was 1,650,000 roubles in January 1922 and 71,730,000 by October.• However, she cautioned against taking out euro loans just yet because of the exchange risk while sterling floated against the euro.• The benchmark 5-year sterling swap spread rose 7 basis points to 42 basis points.• The benchmark 5-year sterling swap spread was unchanged at 34 basis points.sterlingsterling2 adjective [only before noun] GOOD/EXCELLENTvery good Ella has done some sterling work. He has sterling qualities.From Longman Business Dictionarysterlingster‧ling /ˈstɜːlɪŋˈstɜːr-/ noun [uncountable]FINANCE the system of money in Britain, based on the poundSterling was trading at $1.6490, up from $1.6470.His salary is paid in pounds sterling.Origin sterling1 (1500-1600) sterling “silver penny” ((13-19 centuries)), probably from an unrecorded Old English steorling “coin with a star on it”, from steorra; → STAR1 