The word seems not to have been found as Eng. before 16th c. In Anglo-French and Anglo-Lat. sterling(us, esterling(us appear in the 13th c., but only in the sense of ‘sterling penny’ or ‘pennyweight’ (cf. libræ sterilensium, sterilensis monetæ in Ordericus Vitalis, a. 1142); in Matt. Paris moneta esterlingorum seems to mean ‘the coinage of sterling pennies,’ not ‘the coin of the easterlings’; nor do AF. phrases like ‘vint soutz desterlings,’ ‘cinkaunte mars desterlings’ show that esterlings was understood to be the name of a people. The antiquaries of the 16th and 17th c., however, assumed that the ‘esterling’ was so called as having been coined by the Easterlings or Hanse merchants; hence they use easterling money as a transl. of moneta esterlingorum, etc. See STERLING.]
A native of the east.
1. spec. A native of eastern Germany or the Baltic coasts; chiefly applied to the citizens of the Hanse towns.
1534. Wriothesley, Chron. (1875), I. 24. Alis Gray, and Wolfe, an Esterlinge.
1538. Leland, Itin., VI. 57. Many Esterlinges were buried there.
1598. Hakluyt, Voy., I. 6. Witland is apperteining to the Easterlings.
1611. Speed, Hist. Gt. Brit., IX. xvii. (1623), 878/2.
1668. Child, Disc. Trade (ed. 4), 127. The Danes, Swedes, Holsteiners, and all Easterlings, who … import … Eastern Commodities.
1662. Fuller, Worthies, I. xxili. 67. The High-Dutch of the Hans Towns … (known by the name of Easterlings).
1771. Goldsm., Hist. Eng., I. 251. The city of Wexford, and the two adjoining districts … were then in possession of the Easterlings.
b. attrib. Easterling money: see etymology.
1605. Camden, Rem. (1657), 184. Money coined in the East parts of Germany … was called Easterling money.
1641. Termes de la Ley, 176. Guilhalda Teutonicorum is used for the fraternity of Easterling Merchants in London called the Stilyard.
1677. Yarranton, Eng. Improv., 145. A Tax being laid upon these Easterling Clothes.
1871. J. C. Adams, in C. Davies, Metric Syst., III. 112. The Rochelle and easterling pound was therefore the same.
c. A ship of Germany or the Baltic countries.
1563. Mirr. Mag., Hastings, xxi. 3. At hand whole fleet of easterlynges.
1633. T. Stafford, Pac. Hib., III. ii. 329. The Ships that were discryed being a Fleet of Easterlings.
d. [transl. Anglo-L. esterlingus.] The weight of the easterling or sterling penny; a penny-weight, 1/20 of an ounce.
1605. Camden, Rem. (1637), 185. In a pound there ought to be eleven ounces, two Easterlings and one ferling, and the other allay.
2. gen. An inhabitant of an eastern country or district; also, a member of the Eastern Church. arch.
1561. Daus, trans. Bullinger on Apoc. (1573), 279 b. In … 1215 he [Pope Innocent III.] helde a generall counsell in Laterane, wherin warre was declared agaynst the Easterlinges.
1565. Calfhill, Answ. Treat. Crosse (1846), 156. John, the legate of the Easterlings, brought forth another reason.
1577. Eden & Willes, Hist. Trav., 230 b. The farre South asterlynges doe know this parte of Europe by no other name then Portugall.
1609. Holland, Amm. Marcell., XXXI. xvi. 431. The … regiment of Easterlings [Orientalis turma i.e. Saracenorum] got the upper hand.
1649. Jer. Taylor, Gt. Exemp., III. xv. 84. It was a custome of the Easterlings, and of the Roman Empire generally.
1688. Bp. Parker, Reasons Abrog. Test, 107. Mahomet gives them that name of Zabii, because they lay Eastward from Arabia, for so the Word signifies Easterlings.
1816. Southey, Lett. (1856), III. 19. Of all the Easterlings, the Persians are the worst.
1855. Kingsley, Westw. Ho! (1861), 4. One west country man can fight two easterlings.
1870. Morris, Earthly Par., II. III. 124. With Easterlings and his own country-folk they dealt.
3. See quot.
1802. G. Montagu, Ornith. Dict. (1833), 161. Easterling.—A name for the Smew.
