steeple

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steeple^¹

/ˈsti(ː)pəl/ Canada, US, UK
[ˈsti(ː)pɫ̩] Canada, US, UK

Rhymes with -iːpəl

Where it comes from

From Middle English stepel, from Old English stīpel, stȳpel, stīepel (“tower, steeple”), from Proto-West Germanic *staupil, from Proto-Germanic *staupilaz (“that which is steep, tower, steeple”), equivalent to steep + -le. Cognate with Old Norse stǫpull (“tower, steeple”).

noun steeples · steple

A tall tower, often on a church, normally topped with a spire. Above the session-room of the Council is the steeple, and in the steeple is the belfry, where exists, and has existed time out of mind, the pride and wonder of the village—the great clock of the borough of Vondervotteimittiss.
A spire.
historical A high headdress of the 14th century.

verb steeples · steepling · steepled · steple

transitive To form something into the shape of a steeple. He steepled his fingers as he considered the question.

Steeple^²

proper noun

A hamlet in Steeple with Tyneham parish, Dorset, England, previously in Purbeck district (OS grid ref SY9181).
A village and civil parish in Maldon district, Essex, England (OS grid ref TL9303).

Translations

Every language

noun a tall tower, often on a church

Español	campanario, campanil, espadaña
日本語	尖塔 sentō
Português	campanário, torre sineira
Français	clocher
Deutsch	Kirchturm
Italiano	campanile
Română	turlă, clopotniță
Русский	колоко́льня kolokólʹnja

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MLA

"steeple." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/steeple. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

steeple. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/steeple

Chicago

"steeple." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/steeple.

BibTeX

@misc{steeple_2026,
  title = {steeple},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/steeple},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}