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The "container" sense was of a different character – 𠙹 – attested since oracle bones script. This sense was conflated with 甾 later, as in Middle Chinese rime books (ibid.) See the entry 𠙹 for more.
This character was practically obsolete before it was revived as a modern translation for steroid. It is also a pictogram (象形) in this sense; the upper part represents the three side chains on the ring system, and the 田 component represents the tetracyclic core of steroids. See the image on right.
Smith (2011) interprets the oracle bone glyph as depicting the new moon and proposes that it originally wrote a word *tsəʔ "darkened phase" i.e. "new moon", related to 緇 (OC *tsrə) "blackened", 菑 (OC *tsrə) "field cleared by slash and burn", 淄 (OC *tsrə) "murky (water)". Lunar meaning is also present in 臘 / 腊(là) of which this character is the upper-right component.
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Who and when repurposed this character as steroid though?”)