English Explanatory Dictionary

steep

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Of a near-vertical gradient; of a slope, surface, curve, etc. that proceeds upward at an angle near vertical.
  2. Expensive.
  3. Difficult to access; not easy reached; lofty; elevated; high.
  4. resulting in a mast or windshield angle that strongly diverges from the perpendicular.
noun
  1. The steep side of a mountain etc.; a slope or acclivity.
verb
  1. To soak or wet thoroughly.
  2. To imbue with something; to be deeply immersed in.
  3. To make tea (or other beverage) by placing leaves in hot water.
noun
  1. A liquid used in a steeping process
  2. A rennet bag.

Pronunciation

stēp /stiːp/ en-us-steep.ogg

Word forms

steep steeper steepest steeps steeping steeped

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.

Synonyms

brant hilly costly pricey spendy 5-star big-ticket chargeful cheap at half the price costful cost-prohibitive fancy dear dearthful dispendious ex expenny expensive exy high-cost lickpenny million-dollar high-priced princely out of sight overdear ruinous spenno spenny splurgy steep

Antonyms

shallow gentle easy

Derived words

ensteep steep-down steepen steeple steeply steepness steep-slope roof steepy unsteep resteep steepable insteep rot-steep unsteeped
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
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