Where does “steep” come from?
Steep comes from Middle English stepen, from Old Norse steypa, from Proto-Germanic staupaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)tewb-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (s)tew-.
steep (English): Of a near-vertical gradient; of a slope, surface,...
Definitions
- Of a near-vertical gradient; of a slope, surface,...
Ancestry of “steep”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | steep | — |
| 2 | Old English | stēap | a stoup, beaker, drinking vessel, cup, flagon;... |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *staup | — |
Words derived from “steep”