steep
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steep¹
- /stiːp/
Rhymes with -iːp
Where it comes from
From Middle English steep, from Old English stēap (“high”), from Proto-Germanic *staupaz, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewp- (“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.
adjective steeper · steepest
- Of a near-vertical gradient; of a slope, surface, curve, etc. that proceeds upward or downward at an angle approaching vertical. a steep hill or mountain; a steep roof; a steep ascent; a steep barometric gradient
-
Expensive.
Twenty quid for a shave? That's a bit steep.
Similar: costly, pricey, spendy, 5-star, big-ticket, chargeful, cheap at half the price, costful, cost-prohibitive, fancy, dear, dearthful
- Difficult to access; not easy reached; lofty; elevated; high. Her ears and thoughts in steep amaze erected
- 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.
noun steeps
- 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
steep²
- /stiːp/
Rhymes with -iːp
Where it comes from
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.
verb steeps · steeping · steeped
- To soak or wet thoroughly. They steep skins in a tanning solution to create leather.
- To make tea (or other beverages) by soaking leaves in water, which flavors the water.
- To imbue with something; to immerse deeply in. a town steeped in history
noun steeps
- A liquid used in a steeping process Corn steep has many industrial uses.
- A rennet bag.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: immerse, plunge, absorb, sharp, engulf, bold, sheer, brew, perpendicular, high, precipitous, infuse, abrupt, engross, heavy, extortionate
Translations
Every language
adj near-vertical
| Español | escarpado, empinado, acantilado |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 가파르다 gapareuda |
| 日本語 | 険しい kewashii, 急 kyū |
| 中文 | 陡 dǒu |
| Português | íngreme, íngrime |
| Français | escarpé, abrupt, raide |
| Deutsch | steil |
| Italiano | scosceso, ripido, erto |
| Ελληνικά | απότομος apótomos |
| Română | abrupt |
| Русский | круто́й krutój |
| Tiếng Việt | dốc |
| עברית | תָּלוּל talúl |
verb to soak an item in liquid
| Español | remojar |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 浸す hitasu, 潤かす fuyakasu |
| Français | imprégner, imbiber |
| Deutsch | eintauchen, einweichen |
| Italiano | macerare, decantare, immergere |
| Русский | пропи́тывать propítyvatʹ, пропита́ть propitátʹ, выма́чивать vymáčivatʹ, вы́мочить výmočitʹ, зама́чивать zamáčivatʹ, наста́ивать nastáivatʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | ngâm |
| עברית | השרה hishrá |
verb to make tea or other beverage
| 日本語 | 煎じる senjiru |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 泡 pào, 沏 qiē |
| Français | infuser |
| Deutsch | ziehen lassen |
| Русский | зава́ривать zavárivatʹ, завари́ть zavarítʹ |
verb to imbue with an abstract quality
| 日本語 | 注ぎ込む tsugi-komu |
|---|---|
| Français | imprégner |
| Русский | пропи́тывать propítyvatʹ, пропита́ть propitátʹ, пропи́тываться propítyvatʹsja, пропита́ться propitátʹsja, погряза́ть pogrjazátʹ, погря́знуть pogrjáznutʹ |
Talk about this word "steep." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/steep. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026. steep. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/steep "steep." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 5, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/steep.Cite this
@misc{steep_2026,
title = {steep},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/steep},
urldate = {2026-11-05}
}
