steep English · revision 10602
17 Oct 2026, 05:08 by bogdan “en10k b0373: entrepreneur … steep”
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+ Steep, having a sharp slope, is from Old English stēap, high; steep, to soak, is a Middle English verb probably related to Old Norse steypa, to pour.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)
+
+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA: /stiːp/^(Roach et al. 2011)
+
+ {{homograph|1|sloping}}
+
+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 725|origins=ang stēap}}
+
+ ==Etymology==
+ It is [[inh|ang|stēap|t=high, lofty, deep]] (about 725, in Beowulf),^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) from [[m|gem-pro|*staupaz]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) cognate with Old Frisian stāp, high, and Old High German stouf, cliff,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) and related to [[stoop]].^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) It is perhaps from an Indo-European root meaning to push or strike,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) though Boutkan doubts the wider grouping.^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ High, towering: about 725; the sense precipitous probably existed in Old English,^(Etymonline) but is first recorded probably before 1300, in Kyng Alisaunder.^(Barnhart 1988)
+
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ In Middle English steep was also used of strong men, loud voices, prominent eyes and old age.^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) The noun, a steep slope, is from 1555.^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) The slang sense, of a price, high or excessive, is an American coinage attested by 1848.^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * c. 725 – high, lofty.^(Barnhart 1988)
+ * before 1300 – precipitous.^(Barnhart 1988)
+ * 1555 – a steep slope (noun).^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024)
+ * 1848 – of a price, excessive.^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Adjective===
+ # Having a sharp slope; nearly vertical; [[precipitous]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+ # Rising or falling quickly: ''a steep decline''.^(AHD)
+ # ''(informal)'' Of a price, unreasonably high.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+
+ ===Noun===
+ # A steep slope.^(AHD)
+
+ ==Word family==
+ * [[steeply]]
+ * [[steepness]]
+ * [[steepen]]
+
+ {{homograph|2|soak}}
+
+ {{infobox|confidence=uncertain|formation=inherited|attested=before 1325}}
+
+ ==Etymology==
+ Middle English stēpen is of uncertain origin, a word of “difficult etymology” according to the OED;^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) it is probably cognate with Old Norse steypa, to pour out, cast, and Swedish stöpa, to steep,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)^(MWU 2024) and perhaps related to Old English stēap, a cup (see [[stoup]]).^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024)
+
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ To soak something in a liquid, originally barley or malt: before 1325,^(Barnhart 1988) the early 14th century in Etymonline.^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ To be soaked or bathed is from the late 14th century,^(Etymonline) and the figurative sense, to imbue thoroughly with an influence (''steeped in tradition''), from about 1600.^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) The noun, the process of steeping or the liquid used, is from about 1430.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * before 1325 – to soak.^(Barnhart 1988)
+ * c. 1430 – a steeping (noun).^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)
+ * c. 1600 – to imbue (figurative).^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Verb===
+ # To soak in liquid to soften, clean or draw out flavour, as tea.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+ # To fill or [[imbue]] thoroughly: ''steeped in history''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+
+ ===Noun===
+ # The process of steeping, or the liquid used.^(AHD)
+
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[stoop]]
+ * [[steeple]]
+
+ ==References==
+ {{reflist}}