We had on each side naked rocks and mountains broken
into a thousand irregular steeps and precipices.
--Addison.
[1913 Webster]
Bare steeps, where desolation stalks. --Wordsworth. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
steep — [stiːp] adjective 1. steep prices, charges etc are unusually expensive: • Consumers are paying relatively steep prices for dairy products. • Anyone caught fiddling their expenses will face steep fines. 2. a steep increase or rise in something is… … Financial and business terms
Steep — Steep, a. [Compar. {Steeper} ( [ e]r); superl. {Steepest}.] [OE. steep, step, AS. ste[ a]p; akin to Icel. steyp[eth]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}.] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
steep — steep1 [stēp] adj. [ME < OE steap, lofty, high, akin to OFris steep, MHG stouf, cliff (as in Ger Hohenstaufen) < IE * steup < base * (s)teu , to strike, butt > STOCK, STUB, L tundere, to strike] 1. having a sharp rise or highly… … English World dictionary
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.… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
steep — adj Steep, abrupt, precipitous, sheer mean having an incline approaching the perpendicular. The words are here arranged in ascending order of degree of perpendicularity. Steep implies so sharp a slope or pitch that ascent or descent is difficult… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
Steep — (st[=e]p), a. Bright; glittering; fiery. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] His eyen steep, and rolling in his head. Chaucer. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Steep-up — ( [u^]p ), a. Lofty and precipitous. [R.] [1913 Webster] Her stand she takes upon a steep up hill. Shak. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Steep — is a village in central Hampshire, England just outside the town of Petersfield. Since 1899 it has been the location of Bedales School, a progressive public school. The poets Edward Thomas (from 1906) and Robert Frost (briefly) lived in the… … Wikipedia
steep — [adj1] extreme in direction, course abrupt, arduous, breakneck, declivitous, elevated, erect, headlong, high, hilly, lifted, lofty, perpendicular, precipitate, precipitous, prerupt, raised, sharp, sheer, straight up; concept 581 Ant. gentle, mild … New thesaurus
steep — Ⅰ. steep [1] ► ADJECTIVE 1) rising or falling sharply; almost perpendicular. 2) (of a rise or fall in an amount) very large or rapid. 3) informal (of a price or demand) not reasonable; excessive. 4) informal (of a claim or account) exaggerated. ► … English terms dictionary
steep|en — «steemh>puhn», intransitive verb. to become steep or steeper. –v.t. to make steep or steeper … Useful english dictionary
