I'm reading R.H.Dana's "Two Years Before the Mast". He says he had to sleep in the "steerage". I don't see how that space was given its name, as I see no connection to the actual steering of the ship. Etymology doesn't help.
steer (v.) - "guide the course of a vehicle," O.E. steran (Mercian), stieran (W.Saxon), from P.Gmc. *steurijanan, probably from *steuro "rudder" (source of O.E. steor "helm, rudder"). Steerage (1399) was the steering apparatus of a ship before the introduction of the deck wheel; meaning "section of a ship with the cheapest accommodations" first recorded 1804
The furthest aft portion of sailing ships, where the steering apparatus was located belonged exclusively to the officers. The crew were restricted to spaces "before the mast."
Who can explain this to me?

Sorry I can't help you, wwh, but it makes me wonder, where a steer got *its name from? you can trust me to complicate matters always....

...shall tend to these important matters this weekend, if somebody hasn't already been here by then....

Dear maahey: see the second word:
steer 1
vt.
5ME steren < OE stieran, akin to Ger steuern, ON styra < IE *steur3, a support, post (> Gr stauros, ON staurr, post) < base *sta3, to STAND6
1 to guide (a ship or boat) by means of a rudder
2 to direct the course or movement of !to steer an automobile"
3 to oversee, direct, or guide !to steer a team to victory"
4 to set and follow (a course)
vi.
1 to steer a ship, automobile, etc.
2 to be steered or guided !a car that steers easily"
3 to set and follow a course or way
n.
>[Colloq.] a suggestion on how to proceed; tip
steer clear of to avoid
steer4a[ble
adj.

steer 2
n.
5ME ster < OE steor, akin to Ger stier < IE *steu-ro (> MPers stor, horse, draft animal) < base *sta3, to STAND6
1 any castrated male cattle
2 loosely, any male cattle raised for beef

There are goodam few uncastrated male bovines raised for meat. They eat more and meat is tough. If you had one, you'd have trouble getting it slaughtered, and nobody would want it.

i always thought a castrated cow (male, obviously) was an oxen.

how is it we didn't cover this subject when we covered cow/cows/cattle?

what is the difference between a steer and an ox?

Here in eastern US, we tend to have cows exclusively (dairy) so there are few males about, castrated or otherwise. which is why the plural of cow becomes cows.-- not cattle. All you see are she's!

Dear of troy: Selective breeding has made very marked differences between dairy cattle and beef cattle. You'd go broke trying to sell meat from dairy animals, or milk from beef animals. Peculiarly there is an important difference between dairy bulls and beef bulls. My uncle, a dairyman, warned me in very strong terms, never to trust a dairy bull, which may attack savagely with no warning. So I was horrified when we went to a beef farm to see a bull to have my daughters beef cow bred. The girl who owned the bull came up out of the pasture riding on the bull's back. When I questioned her, she told me about the difference.We later owned a big Herford bull, and he was a gentle lovable pet.But I later met a dairyman horribly disfigured by one of his bulls because he go carelss. With artifical insemination, few dairfarmers want to have the problems of keeping a bull.