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steep 1 (stēp)
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adj. steep·er, steep·est
1. Having a sharp inclination; precipitous.
2. At a rapid or precipitous rate: a steep rise in imports.
3.
a. Excessive; stiff: a steep price.
b. Ambitious; difficult: a steep undertaking.
n.
A precipitous slope.
[Middle English stepe, from Old English stēap.]
steeply adv.
steepness n.
Synonyms: steep1, abrupt, precipitous, sheer2
These adjectives mean so sharply inclined as to be almost perpendicular: steep cliffs; an abrupt drop-off; precipitous hills; a sheer descent.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
steep 2 (stēp)
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v. steeped, steep·ing, steeps
v.tr.
1. To immerse in liquid for a period of time, as to cleanse, treat, or extract a given property from: steeped the cloth in red dye; steeped the tea bag in boiling water.
2. To involve or preoccupy thoroughly; immerse: As a child, she steeped herself in adventure stories.
3. To make thoroughly wet; saturate.
v.intr.
To undergo a soaking in liquid: Let the tea steep for five minutes.
n.
1.
a. The act or process of steeping.
b. The state of being steeped.
2. A liquid, bath, or solution in which something is steeped.
[Middle English stepen, perhaps from Old English *stīepan; akin to Swedish stöpa and Danish støbe, to soak (barley for malting), cast (metal), from Germanic *staupjan, probably denominative verb from *staupan, a kind of vessel for liquids (also the source of Old Norse staup, cup; see STOUP).]
steeper n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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