01 a. Bright; glittering; fiery.
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1.
Bright; glittering; fiery.[Obs.]“His eyen steep, and rolling in his head.” — Chaucer.
Entry
9 senses · 6 variants
Webster, 1913
Steep
/(stēp)/
· IPA /stiːp/
02 v. t. To soak in a liquid; to macerate; to extract the essence of by soaking; as, to soften seed by steeping it in water. Often used figuratively.
imp. & p. p.
Steeped; p. pr. & vb. n.
Steeping
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1.
To soak in a liquid; to macerate; to extract the essence of by soaking; as, to soften seed by steeping it in water. Often used figuratively.“Let fancy still my sense in Lethe steep.” — Shak.“In refreshing dew to steep The little, trembling flowers.” — Wordsworth.“The learned of the nation were steeped in Latin.” — Earle.
03 v. i. To undergo the process of soaking in a liquid; as, the tea is steeping.
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1.
To undergo the process of soaking in a liquid; as, the tea is steeping.[Colloq.]
04 n. Something steeped, or used in steeping; a fertilizing liquid to hasten the germination of seeds.
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Something steeped, or used in steeping; a fertilizing liquid to hasten the germination of seeds.
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2.
A rennet bag.[Prov. Eng.]
05 a. Making a large angle with the plane of the horizon; ascending or descending rapidly with respect to a horizontal line or a level; precipito…
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Making a large angle with the plane of the horizon; ascending or descending rapidly with respect to a horizontal line or a level; precipitous; as, a steep hill or mountain; a steep roof; a steep ascent; a steep declivity; a steep barometric gradient.
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2.
Difficult of access; not easily reached; lofty; elevated; high.[Obs.]
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3.
Excessive; as, a steep price.[Slang]
06 n. A precipitous place, hill, mountain, rock, or ascent; any elevated object sloping with a large angle to the plane of the horizon; a precipice.
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A precipitous place, hill, mountain, rock, or ascent; any elevated object sloping with a large angle to the plane of the horizon; a precipice.“We had on each side naked rocks and mountains broken into a thousand irregular steeps and precipices.” — Addison.“Bare steeps, where desolation stalks.” — Wordsworth.