steep
/stiːp/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.99 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Of a near-vertical gradient; of a slope, surface, curve, etc. that proceeds upward or downward at an angle approaching vertical.
adj
resulting in a mast or windshield angle that strongly diverges from the perpendicular.
Example Sentences
- "a steep hill or mountain; a steep roof; a steep ascent; a steep barometric gradient"
- "They will be called upon to deal with freight trains of up to 900 tons over gradients considerably steeper than those of the Central Section—for example, the frequent stretches of 1 in 100 between Victoria and the Medway towns—and their running to fast schedules will include the haulage of the "Night Ferry", which may load up to as much as 700 tons, and fully-fitted trains of 30 or more heavy Continental train ferry wagons."
- "Up these steep walkways cannelured for footpurchase, the free passage of roaches."
- "[…] Category Two implement hitches and doubled high-traction agricultural tires hung four to each massive rear axle to breast the steepest, softest dune or guckiest swamp […]"
- "Twenty quid for a shave? That's a bit steep."
- "Her ears and thoughts in steep amaze erected"
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)tew- Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewp-der.? Proto-Germanic *staupaz Proto-West Germanic *staup Old English stēap Middle English steep English steep 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.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: steep, stēap, *staupaz, *(s)tewp-, stepen, steypa