Etymology Explorer
› Middle English
Where does “steep” come from?
steep (Middle English) comes from Old English stēap, from Proto-West Germanic *staup.
Ancestry of “steep”, step by step
Step
Language
Word
Meaning
1
Old English
stēap
a stoup, beaker, drinking vessel, cup, flagon;...
2
Proto-West Germanic
*staup
—
Words derived from “steep”
steep
steeply
steeper
steepness
steepy
steepen
steepish
oversteep
steepeth
insteep
ensteep
resteep
steep-down
steepable
unsteep
steepiness
oversteepen
steepener
Every word from Proto-West Germanic *staup →
Every word from Old English stēap →