Steep
adj, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Definitions
- 1 The steep side of a mountain etc.; a slope or acclivity.
"It ended precipitously in a dark and narrow ravine, formed on the other side by an opposite mountain, the lofty steep of which was crested by a city gently rising on a gradual slope"
- 2 A liquid used in a steeping process countable, uncountable
"Corn steep has many industrial uses."
- 3 a steep place (as on a hill) wordnet
- 4 A rennet bag. countable, uncountable
- 1 To soak or wet thoroughly. transitive
"They steep skins in a tanning solution to create leather."
- 2 let sit in a liquid to extract a flavor or to cleanse wordnet
- 3 To imbue with something; to be deeply immersed in. figuratively, intransitive
"a town steeped in history"
- 4 devote (oneself) fully to wordnet
- 5 To make tea (or other beverage) by placing leaves in hot water.
- 1 Of a near-vertical gradient; of a slope, surface, curve, etc. that proceeds upward at an angle near vertical.
"a steep hill or mountain; a steep roof; a steep ascent; a steep barometric gradient"
- 2 Expensive. informal
"Twenty quid for a shave? That's a bit steep."
- 3 Difficult to access; not easy reached; lofty; elevated; high. obsolete
"Her ears and thoughts in steep amaze erected"
- 4 resulting in a mast or windshield angle that strongly diverges from the perpendicular.
"The steep rake of the windshield enhances the fast lines of the exterior."
- 1 having a sharp inclination wordnet
- 2 of a slope; set at a high angle wordnet
- 3 greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation wordnet
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"The staircase leading to the rooftop is narrow, steep, and dark."
Etymology
From Middle English steep, from Old English stēap (“high”), from Proto-Germanic *staupaz, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewb- (“to push, stick”). Compare Old Frisian stāp ("high, towering"; > Modern Saterland Frisian stiep (“steep”)), Dutch stoop (“grand; proud”), Middle High German stouf (“towering cliff, precipice”), Middle High German stief (“steep”)). The Proto-Indo-European root (and related) has many and varied descendants, including English stub; compare also Scots stap (“to strike, to forcibly insert”). The sense of “sharp slope” is attested circa 1200; the sense “expensive” is attested US 1856.
From Middle English stepen, from Old Norse steypa (“to make stoop, cast down, pour out, cast (metal)”), from Proto-Germanic *staupijaną (“to tumble, make tumble, plunge”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewb- (“to push, hit”). Cognate with Danish støbe (“cast (metal)”), Norwegian støpe, støype, Swedish stöpa (“to found, cast (metal)”), Old English stūpian (“to stoop, bend the back, slope”). Related to stoop.