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steep - 12 dictionary results

steep

1  [steep] ,adjective, -er, -est, noun
Use steep in a Sentence
–adjective
1. having an almost vertical slope or pitch, or a relatively high gradient, as a hill, an ascent, stairs, etc.
2. (of a price or amount) unduly high; exorbitant: Those prices are too steep for me.
3. extreme or incredible, as a statement or story.
4. high or lofty.
–noun
5. a steep place; declivity, as of a hill.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME stepe (adj.), OE stēap; akin to stoop 1

Related forms:
steeply, adverb
steepness, noun

steep

2  [steep] ,
–verb (used with object)
1. to soak in water or other liquid, as to soften, cleanse, or extract some constituent: to steep tea in boiling-hot water; to steep reeds for basket weaving.
2. to wet thoroughly in or with a liquid; drench; saturate; imbue.
3. to immerse in or saturate or imbue with some pervading, absorbing, or stupefying influence or agency: an incident steeped in mystery.
–verb (used without object)
4. to lie soaking in a liquid.
–noun
5. the act or process of steeping or the state of being steeped.
6. a liquid in which something is steeped.
Origin:
1350–1400; (v.) ME stepen < ?; cf. Sw stöpa; (n.) late ME stepe, deriv. of the v.

Related forms:
steeper, noun

Synonyms:
1. infuse. 2. permeate. 3. bury, engulf.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To steep
steep 1   (stēp)   
adj.   steep·er, steep·est
  1. Having a sharp inclination; precipitous.
  2. At a rapid or precipitous rate: a steep rise in salaries.
    1. Excessive; stiff: a steep price.
    2. Ambitious; difficult: a steep undertaking.
n.  A precipitous slope.

[Middle English stepe, from Old English stēap.]
steep'ly adv., steep'ness n.
Synonyms: These adjectives mean so sharply inclined as to be almost perpendicular: steep cliffs; an abrupt drop-off; precipitous hills; a sheer descent.
steep 2   (stēp)   
v.   steeped, steep·ing, steeps

v.   tr.
  1. To soak in liquid in order to cleanse, soften, or extract a given property from.
  2. To infuse or subject thoroughly to.
  3. To make thoroughly wet; saturate.
v.   intr.
To undergo a soaking in liquid.
n.  
    1. The act or process of steeping.
    2. The state of being steeped.
  2. A liquid, bath, or solution in which something is steeped.

[Middle English stepen, perhaps of Old English origin.]
steep'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Steep

Steep\ (st[=e]p), a. Bright; glittering; fiery. [Obs.]

His eyen steep, and rolling in his head. --Chaucer.

Steep

Steep\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Steeped (st[=e]pt); p. pr. & vb. n. Steeping.] [OE. stepen, probably fr. Icel. steypa to cause to stoop, cast down, pour out, to cast metals, causative of st[=u]pa to stoop; cf. Sw. st["o]pa to cast, to steep, Dan. st["o]be, D. & G. stippen to steep, to dip. Cf. Stoop, v. t.] To soak in a liquid; to macerate; to extract the essence of by soaking; as, to soften seed by steeping it in water. Often used figuratively.

Let fancy still my sense in Lethe steep. --Shak.

In refreshing dew to steep The little, trembling flowers. --Wordsworth.

The learned of the nation were steeped in Latin. --Earle.

Steep

Steep\, v. i. To undergo the process of soaking in a liquid; as, the tea is steeping. [Colloq.]

Steep

Steep\, n. 1. Something steeped, or used in steeping; a fertilizing liquid to hasten the germination of seeds.

2. A rennet bag. [Prov. Eng.]

Steep

Steep\, a. [Comper. Steeper; superl. Steepest.] [OE. steep, step, AS. ste['a]p; akin to Icel. steyp?r steep, and st[=u]pa to stoop, Sw. stupa to fall, to tilt; cf. OFries. stap high. Cf. Stoop, v. i., Steep, v. t., Steeple.]

1. Making a large angle with the plane of the horizon; ascending or descending rapidly with respect to a horizontal line or a level; precipitous; as, a steep hill or mountain; a steep roof; a steep ascent; a steep declivity; a steep barometric gradient.

2. Difficult of access; not easy reached; lofty; elevated; high. [Obs.] --Chapman.

3. Excessive; as, a steep price. [Slang]

Steep

Steep\, n. A precipitous place, hill, mountain, rock, or ascent; any elevated object sloping with a large angle to the plane of the horizon; a precipice. --Dryden.

We had on each side naked rocks and mountains broken into a thousand irregular steeps and precipices. --Addison.

Bare steeps, where desolation stalks. --Wordsworth.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : steep
Italian: ripido,
German: steil,
Japanese: 険しい
More Translations »

steep  (adj.)
"having a sharp slope," O.E. steap "high, lofty," from P.Gmc. *staupaz (cf. O.Fris. stap, M.H.G. *stouf), from PIE *steup- "to push, stick, knock, beat," with derivations referring to projecting objects (cf. Gk. typtein "to strike," typos "a blow, mold, die;" Skt. tup- "harm," tundate "pushes, stabs;" Goth. stautan "push;" O.N. stuttr "short"). The sense of "precipitous" is from c.1200. The slang sense "at a high price" is a U.S. coinage first attested 1856.

steep  (v.)
"to soak in a liquid," 1390, of uncertain origin, originally in ref. to barley or malt, probably cognate with O.N. steypa "to pour out, throw" (or an unrecorded O.E. cognate), from P.Gmc. *staupijanan.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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