Steeple

Steeple
Steeple Stee"ple (st[=e]"p'l), n. [OE. stepel, AS. st[=e]pel, st[=y]pel; akin to E. steep, a.] (Arch.) A spire; also, the tower and spire taken together; the whole of a structure if the roof is of spire form. See {Spire}. ``A weathercock on a steeple.'' --Shak. [1913 Webster]

{Rood steeple}. See {Rood tower}, under {Rood}.

{Steeple bush} (Bot.), a low shrub ({Spir[ae]a tomentosa}) having dense panicles of minute rose-colored flowers; hardhack.

{Steeple chase}, a race across country between a number of horsemen, to see which can first reach some distant object, as a church steeple; hence, a race over a prescribed course obstructed by such obstacles as one meets in riding across country, as hedges, walls, etc.

{Steeple chaser}, one who rides in a steeple chase; also, a horse trained to run in a steeple chase.

{Steeple engine}, a vertical back-acting steam engine having the cylinder beneath the crosshead.

{Steeple house}, a church. [Obs.] --Jer. Taylor. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • steeple — [ stipl ] n. m. • 1835; abrév. de steeple chase ♦ Anglic. 1 ♦ Steeple chase. 2 ♦ (1884) Course de fond (3 000 m) dans laquelle les coureurs doivent franchir divers obstacles dispersés sur la piste. Des steeples. Appos. Courir le 3 000 mètres… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Steeple — * Steeple (architecture), a tall tower on a building, often topped by a spire * Steeple, Dorset, a hamlet in south Dorset, England * Steeple, Essex, a very small village in south Essex, England * Steeple (Lake District), a fell in the Lake… …   Wikipedia

  • steeple — O.E. stepel (Mercian), stiepel (W.Saxon) high tower (related to steap high, lofty ), from P.Gmc. *staupilaz (see STEEP (Cf. steep) (adj.)). Steeplechase first recorded 1793 (earlier steeplehunt, 1772), originally a race with a visible church… …   Etymology dictionary

  • steeple n — steeple chase …   English expressions

  • steeple — ► NOUN 1) a church tower and spire. 2) a spire on the top of a church tower or roof. DERIVATIVES steepled adjective. ORIGIN Old English, related to STEEP(Cf. ↑steepness) …   English terms dictionary

  • steeple — [stē′pəl] n. [ME stepel < OE < base of steap, lofty: see STEEP1] 1. a tower rising above the main structure of a building, esp. of a church, usually capped with a spire 2. a church tower with a spire; also, the spire …   English World dictionary

  • Steeple — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Steeple chase. 3000 m steeple …   Wikipédia en Français

  • steeple — steepled, adj. steepleless, adj. steeplelike, adj. /stee peuhl/, n., v., steepled, steepling. n. 1. an ornamental construction, usually ending in a spire, erected on a roof or tower of a church, public building, etc. 2. a tower terminating in… …   Universalium

  • steeple — n. a church steeple * * * [ stiːp(ə)l] a church steeple …   Combinatory dictionary

  • steeple — UK [ˈstiːp(ə)l] / US [ˈstɪp(ə)l] noun [countable] Word forms steeple : singular steeple plural steeples a tall pointed tower on a church …   English dictionary

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