The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.
Appendix I
Indo-European Roots
ENTRY:
ster-2
DEFINITION:
Also ster-. To spread. Derivatives include destroy, industry, straw, street, and stratagem. I. Extended form *streu-.1.strain2, from Old English stron, something gained, offspring, from Germanic suffixed form *streu-nam.2.structure; construct, destroy, instruct, instrument, obstruct, substruction, from Latin struere, to pile up, construct. 3. Zero-grade form *stru-. industry, from Latin industrius, diligent, from Archaic Latin indostruus (endo-, within; see en). 4.bremsstrahlung, from Old High German strla, arrow, lightning bolt, from Germanic *strl. II. O-grade extended form *strou-.1. Suffixed form *strou-eyo-.a.strew, from Old English str(o)wian, to strew; b.streusel, from Old High German strouwen,strowwen, to sprinkle, strew. Both a and b from Germanic *strawjan.2. Suffixed form *strow-o-.straw, from Old English straw, straw, from Germanic *strawam, that which is scattered. III. O-grade extended form *stroi-.perestroika, from Old Russian stroj, order. IV. Basic forms *ster-,*ster-.1. Nasalized form *ster-n--.estray, stratus, stray, street; consternate, prostrate, substratum, from Latin sternere (past participle strtus from zero-grade *st-to-), to stretch, extend. 2. Suffixed form *ster-no-.sternum; sternocleidomastoid, from Greek sternon, breast, breastbone. V. Zero-grade form *st-,*st-.1. Suffixed form *st-to-.stratagem; stratocracy, from Greek stratos, multitude, army, expedition. 2. Suffixed form *st-to-.strath, from Old Irish srath, a wide river valley, from Celtic *s(t)rato-.3. Suffixed extended form *st-m.stroma; stromatolite, from Greek strma, mattress, bed. (Pokorny 5. ster- 1029.)