| 释义 |
▪ I. steep, n.1|stiːp|
Forms: (5 stipe), 6 stepe, (steppe), 6–7 steepe, (8 stip, stiep), 7– steep.
[f. steep v.]
1. The process of steeping or soaking; the state of being steeped, esp. in phr. (to lay) † a steep (obs.), † in a steep (obs.), in steep.
c1430Two Cookery-bks. i. 16 Take þe brothe, þe pouches & þe lyuerys wer sodoun in, in a stipe or on fayre brede. 1516Gt. Herbal ccccxvii. (1529) Y v b, And let the fylynge lay a stepe a day and a nyght in vynegyre. 1563T. Gale Antidot. ii. 25 Let all these be beaten together and layed in stepe in Rose water. 1601Holland Pliny xxxii. vii. II. 439 The same ought first to be cut or shred small, and then to lie infused or in steepe a whole day and a night in water or vinegre. 1707Mortimer Husb. 175 Take Plantain, Rue, [etc.]..of each an handful,..lay them in steep in a Pint of old wash. 1709Lady G. Baillie Household Bk. (1911) 74 For makeing 2 stip of mallt..{pstlg}6.0.0. 1765Museum Rust. III. 220 If barley is left too long on the steep in the same water, the water will grow slimy. 1800Act 41 Geo. III, c. 6 (title) For shortening..the Time of keeping in Steep for malting, Barley damaged by Rain. 1851A. Marshall in H. Schroeder Ann. Yorksh. (1851) I. 419 Turning the beets inside out for the second steep. 1876Encycl. Brit. IV. 267/2, 81½ bushels of good dry barley will, after forty-eight hours steep, swell to exactly 100 bushels. 1893W. R. Mackintosh Around Orkney Peat Fires ii. (1905) 126 A farmer..had just taken his malt out of steep, when two excisemen paid him a visit.
b. fig.
1592Nashe P. Penilesse 18 b, I haue tearmes (if I be vext) laid in steepe in Aqua fortis. 1615Chapman Odyss. ii. 29 She..sweete sleepe Powr'd on each wooer; which so laid in steepe Their drowsie temples, that each brow did nod. 1627Sanderson Serm. ad Pop. vi. §21. (1632) 523 He..doth but lay more rods in steepe for his own back. 1895‘Ian Maclaren’ Briar Bush 255 Man [doctor], ye 'ill need tae pit yir brains in steep. Is she clean beyond ye?
†2. the steep: the midday plunge taken by a stag in hot weather.
1486Bk. St. Albans e iiij b, To the stepe then thay goon yche hote day at noon... The cause of the steepe is to weere hym fro the flee. 1576Turberv. Venerie xxxvii. 100 A Hart goeth to the steepe at noone in the heate of the day to keepe him from the flye. Ibid. 244 He goeth to the Steppe.
†3. ? A steeping vessel. Obs. rare—1.
1614in W. S. Gibson Hist. Monast. Tynemouth (1846) II. 122 Repayring the Malthowse, Host and Steep, lx.s.
4. The liquid in which a thing is placed to undergo soaking or maceration; a prepared liquor used as a dyeing bath or cleansing wash; in Agric. a wash for seeds; often with qualifying word, as alum, bran, lime steep, etc.
1759tr. Duhamel's Husb. i. xvi. (1762) 102 Steeps were brought very early into use in husbandry. 1805R. W. Dickson Pract. Agric. I. 446 Steeps or pickles of these kinds appear to have been principally made use of for preparing wheat, in order to prevent it from being affected with disease. 1839Ure Dict. Arts 600 The manufacturer..is..careful to ensure their purification by subjecting them to a weak lime steep. 1882Crookes Dyeing & Tissue-Printing 134 The second peachwood beck may be saved and used for the first peachwood steep of the next lot. 1897W. G. Smith tr. Von Tubeuf's Dis. Plants 65 Sterilization of the seed..is chiefly carried out by the use of ‘steeps’, which kill the smut-spores adherent to the seed.
5. = rennet n.1
1688Holme Armoury iii. 244/1 Bad Cheese..made of Burnt Milk, and of stinking and bad Runnet or Steep. 1769Mrs. Raffald Eng. Housekpr. (1778) 255 To make Cream Cheese. Put one large spoonful of steep to five quarts of afterings. 1845Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. VI. i. 108 The rennet, or steep as it is commonly called, is next added. 1895E. Rydings Manx Tales 65 And, Mrs. Kelly, I'll be sendin' you a boddle of steep.
b. Sc. The plant Ranunculus flammula.
1894J. Shaw in R. Wallace Country Schoolm. (1899) 354 Steep, Ranunculus flammula, from its acting like rennet.
▪ II. steep, a., n.2 and adv.|stiːp|
Forms: 1 stéap, 3 steap, stæp, 3–6 stepe, (4 steppe), 4–7 steepe, 5 steype, 6 stipe, stype, stiepe, 6–7 Sc. steip, 7 stiep, 7– steep.
[OE. stéap, corresp. to OFris. stâp, MHG. *stouf (as n. with the sense ‘steep, declivity’, in the proper name Hohenstaufen):—OTeut. type *staupo-, f. Teut. root *steup-: staup-: stū̆p-: see stoop v.]
A. adj.
†1.
a. Extending to a great height; elevated, lofty.
Beowulf 222 (Gr.) Beorᵹas steape. a1000Riddles iv. 10 (Gr.) Weallas beofiað steape ofer stiwitum. c1205Lay. 19815 [They] mid eorðe & mid stanen stepne hul makede. 13..E.E. Allit. P. B. 1396, & Baltazar vpon bench was busked to sete, Stepe stayred stones of his stoute throne. a1400–50Wars Alex. 4828 A cliffe at to þe cloudis semed, Þat was so staire & so stepe. c1440Promp. Parv. 474/1 Steepe, nowt lowe, elevatus, ascendens. 1615Chapman Odyss. i. 200 To a roome they came, Steepe, and of state. 1667Milton P.L. iv. 135 Where delicious Paradise,..Crowns with her enclosure green,..the champain head Of a steep wilderness. 1738Wesley Hymn, ‘Eternal Wisdom’ ix, Thy Breath can raise the Billows steep, Or sink them to the Sand.
†b. = ‘High’ in certain transferred uses. Of warriors or their attributes: Of high courage, noble. Of a voice: High, loud. Obs.
c1205Lay. 1532 Þer wes moni steap mon mid stele to⁓swngen. Ibid. 1541 Cuð nu þine strengða & þina stepa main. Ibid. 5879 And make we..auer alche hæpe hertoȝe stæpne. 13..Coer de L. 5985 Kyng Richard..cryyd on hym with voys ful stepe, ‘Home, schrewe!’
2.
†a. Of eyes: Projecting, prominent (also steep-out); staring; glaring with passion.
c1000ælfric Hom. I. 456 He hæfð steape eaᵹan [= L. ‘oculi grandes’, Pass. S. Bartholomæi]. a1225Leg. Kath. 307 Þe keiser bistarede hire wið swiðe steape ehnen hwil þat ha spek þus. c1320Sir Beues 685 Wiþ stepe eiȝen & rowe bren So loþeliche he gan on hem sen,..þai were aferde. c1386Chaucer Prol. 201 His heed was balled..Hise eyen stepe, and rollynge in his heed. 1397Trevisa Barth. De P.R. iii. xvii. (1495) 64 Grete and stepe eyen [L. oculus eminens]..se not well aferre: but depe eyen se wel aferre. c1400Destr. Troy 3758 Crispe herit was the kyng,..Stokyn ene out stepe with a streught loke. Ibid. 7724 His Ene [were] leuenaund with light as a low fyn, With stremys full stithe in his stepe loke. c1400tr. Secreta Secret., Gov. Lordsh. 115 He þat hauys steepe-owt eghen [L. oculos extensos] ys malicious & feloun. a1450Lovelich Grail xiii. 651 With grete stepe Eyen In his hed Also. 1555W. Watreman Fardle Facions ii. x. 212 The Tartares are very deformed,..hauying great stiepe eyes.
†b. Of jewels, eyes, stars: Brilliant. In later use only of eyes, in the poetical phrase steep and gray. Obs.
a1000Gnomic Verses i. 23 (Gr.) Ᵹim sceal on hringe standan steap & ᵹeap. a1000Sal. & Sat. 284 (Gr.) Ne mæᵹ hit steorra ne stan ne se steapa ᵹimm..wihte beswican. a1225Leg. Kath. 1647 A deorewurðe wal, schininde, & schenre, of ȝimstanes steapre Þen is eni steorre. a1225St. Marher. 9 His twa ehnen steappre þene steorren ant þene ȝimstanes ant brad as bascins. c1330King of Tars 15 Eyyen stepe and graye. 13..E.E. Allit. P. B. 583 By-þenk þe sumtyme, Wheþer he þat stykked vche a stare in vche steppe yȝe, Ȝif hym self be bore blynde hit is a brod wonder. a1529Skelton P. Sparowe 1014 Her eyen gray and stepe Causeth myne hert to lepe. 1577Grange Golden Aphrod. G j b, Hir twinckling eyne bothe steepe and grey, they seeme like Christall cleare.
3. a. Of a hill, mountain, cliff: Having an almost perpendicular face or slope, precipitous. Of a gradient or slope, a staircase, etc.: High-pitched.
The sense prob. goes back to OE., but is difficult to authenticate, as when applied to mountains, cliffs, etc. the word prob. expressed a mixed notion of senses 1 and 3.
c1200Ormin 11379 & ᵹet to deofell..brohhte himm onn an lawe Þatt wass well swiþe stæp & heh. 13..K. Alis. 7041 Theo path on mount was narwe and stepe, In valeys, dark and deope. 1533Elyot Cast. Helthe (1539) 50 b, Stronge or violente exercises be these..clymmyng or walkyng against a stipe vpright hyll. 1549Thomas Hist. Italie 161, I thynke the stipe descent of the hill causeth, that they haue not roome enough to make theyr stretes large. 1588Shakes. L.L.L. iv. I. 2 Was that the King that spurd his horse so hard, Against the steepe vprising of the hill? 1605Verstegan Dec. Intell. iv. 98 These clifs..are..as it were cut of stiep or straight down, from the top to the bottom. 1610Holland Camden's Brit. 344 A mighty ridge of steepe high Cliffs [L. cautium eminentia]..runneth for seaven miles or there about, as far as to Dover. 1611Bible Matt. viii. 32 The whole herd of swine ranne violently downe a steepe place into the Sea. 1667Milton P.L. ii. 71 The way seems difficult and steep to scale With upright wing against a higher foe. a1700Evelyn Diary 28 Aug. 1670, Those huge steepe stayres ascending to it. 1718Lady M. W. Montagu Let. to Mrs. T― 25 Sept., The descent is..steep and slippery. 1796H. Hunter tr. St.-Pierre's Stud. Nat. (1799) I. 137 The declivity of the bason of the Sea is much steeper than that of the bounding lands. 1813Shelley Q. Mab ix. 218 Again the burning wheels inflame The steep descent of Heaven's untrodden way. 1838Arnold Hist. Rome I. 32 The hills of Rome are..low in height but with steep and rocky sides. 1876M. E. Braddon J. Haggard's Dau. II. 17 The narrow path..had been cut into steps where the slope was steepest. 1884[see gradient n. 1].
b. transf. of movement. poet.
1603Drayton Barons' Wars vi. xxii, That slippery way Where the most worldly prouident doe slide, Feeling the steepe fall threatning sure decay. 1667Milton P.L. iii. 741 [He] Throws his steep flight in many an Aerie wheele. 1818Shelley Homer's Hymn to Sun 22 His rapid steeds soon bear him to the West; Where their steep flight his hands divine arrest.
†c. Of a ditch, cave or the like: Having precipitous sides or entrance. Obs.
1568Grafton Chron. II. 974 With diuers fortresses in the ditches, which were so broade and so plumme steepe that was wonder to beholde. 1598Extracts Burgh Rec. Glasgow (1876) 189 His steip trocht and wolt biggit be him. 1601Ibid., Ane steip troche. 1608Topsell Serpents 10 Ouid writeth: Longo caput extulit antro Cæruleus serpens,..That is—The greenish Serpent extolld her head from denne so steepe.
†d. Of a forehead: Upright, high. Obs. rare—1.
1509Hawes Past. Pleas. xxx. (Percy Soc.) 146 Her forehead stepe, with fayre browes ybent.
†e. Of water: Having a headlong course, flowing precipitously. Of rain (Sc.): Pouring. Obs.
c1330Arth. & Merl. 1450 Her vnder is a ȝerde depe A water, boþe swift & stepe. 1634Milton Comus 97 And the gilded Car of Day, His glowing Axle doth allay In the steep Atlantick stream. c1655― Ps. lxxxi. 31, I tri'd thee at the water steep of Meriba renown'd. 1659A. Hay Diary (S.H.S.) 149 Mr Rot Broun and I cam away from Lanerick in a very steep raine.
f. Coal-mining. Of a seam or measure: Having a high inclination.
1883Gresley Gloss. Coal-mining 239 Steep seams [of coal]. 1892Labour Commission Gloss., Steep Measures, a description of the seams of coal on the South crop..in South Wales, which are highly inclined.
g. steepest descent(s) (Math.), used with reference to a method of finding a minimum of a function of two or more variables by repeatedly evaluating it at a point displaced from the previous point in the direction that locally involved the greatest drop in its value.
1939Proc. R. Soc. A. CLXIX. 484 In the method of steepest descents the displacement affects all co-ordinates and affects them in the ratio of their residual forces. 1943Bull. Amer. Math. Soc. XLIX. 18 We now choose the line along which the motion proceeds so that the descent is as steep as possible (lines of steepest descent). 1974Adby & Dempster Introd. Optimization Methods iii. 57 The steepest descent method uses the Jacobian gradient g to determine a suitable direction of movement.
4. In occasional figurative uses. (Very common in Milton).
a. Of an aim, an undertaking, etc.: Arduous, full of difficulty, ambitious.
1598T. Bastard Chrestol. iv. xii. 85 His heedlesse good and steepe presumptuousnesse. 1816Byron Ch. Har. iii. cv. They were gigantic minds, and their steep aim Was, Titan⁓like, on daring doubts to pile Thoughts which [etc.].
†b. Of a difficulty: Hard to surmount. Obs.
1644Milton Areop. (Arb.) 32 To which [bound of civill liberty]..wee are already in good part arriv'd, and yet from such a steepe disadvantage of tyranny and superstition grounded into our principles as was [etc.].
†c. = headlong a. 4. Obs.
1616B. Jonson Forest xi, Who..Would, at suggestion of a steepe desire, Cast himselfe from the spire Of all his happiness? 1649Milton Eikon. 42 The stay and support of all things from that steep ruin to which he had nigh brought them. 1653― Ps. vii. 60 With ruine steep. 1667― P.L. vi. 324 It met The sword of Satan with steep force to smite Descending.
d. Of inequalities, contrasts: Violent, extreme.
1856Emerson Eng. Traits, Result Wks. (Bohn) II. 136 The feudal system survives in the steep inequality of property and privilege. Ibid., Manners ibid. II. 51 The range of nations from which London draws, and the steep contrasts of condition, create the picturesque in society.
5. slang. Excessive, extravagant, ‘stiff’, ‘tall’. Of a price, an amount: Exorbitant. Of a story, etc.: Exaggerated, incredible.
1856Knick. Mag. Apr. XLVII. 362 (Thornton Amer. Gloss.) He's too steep in his price, anyway. 1857Chicago Tribune 17 Oct. (Bartlett), One hundred and ten Winnebago Indians, wearing their blankets, voted the Democratic ticket; but the agent thought this was rather steep, so he afterwards crossed that number from the list. 1895Westm. Gaz. 22 Apr. 4/3 This is rather a steep statement, even for a party that exists on credit. 1901Munsey's Mag. XXIV. 441/1 Forty thousand marks..is a pretty steep price even for a royal motor carriage.
6. attrib. and Comb., as steep-grade adj.; chiefly parasynthetic, as steep-backed, steep-faced, steep-fronted, steep-gabled, steep-pitched, steep-pointed, steep-roofed, steep-scarped, steep-sided, steep-streeted; † steepward adv. ? on a steep slope. Also steep-down, steep-to, steep-up, steepwise.
1889F. Cowper Captain of Wight 227 The old man once more turned to climb the *steep-backed hill.
1894J. C. Atkinson Old Whitby 60 The *steep-faced cliff.
1936Nature 21 Mar. 491/2 The test piece is flashed over with a *steep-fronted impulse in about a microsecond or less.
1915Blackw. Mag. Jan. 124/2 A *steep-gabled house.
1896Daily News 25 Feb. 5/4 The..*steep-grade tramway.
1885Warren & Cleverly Wand. Beetle 140 We swung under the bridge, and ran in to the *steep-pitched landing.
1912‘Guy Thorne’ Great Acceptance x. (1915) 255 Turrets with *steep-pointed roofs.
1814Scott Wav. viii, The house, which seemed to consist of two or three high, narrow, and *steep-roofed buildings.
1878Ramsay Phys. Geog. xviii. 296 The *steep-scarped front..faces to the north-west.
1856Kane Arct. Expl. I. ix. 93 Large gorges..generally *steep-sided.
1872M. Collins Plunges for Pearl I. vi. 116 The *steep-streeted little town of Silveroar.
1588Kyd Househ. Philos. Wks. (1901) 270 Whether it lie *steepeward downe the hyls, vneasie and painful to be past.
B. n.
1. a. The declivity or slope of a mountain, hill, cliff; a steep or precipitous place.
1555Eden Decades (Arb.) 133 Ryuers..wherwith al suche trees as are planted on the stiepe or foote of the mountaynes, as vines..are watered. 1590Shakes. Mids. N. ii. i. 69 Why art thou heere Come from the farthest steepe [Qo. 1 steppe] of India? 1615G. Sandys Trav. 27 Having climbed the mountaine steepe towards the sea. 1667Milton P.L. iv. 680 How often from the steep Of echoing Hill..have we heard Celestial voices. 1721De Foe Mem. Cavalier (1840) 76 On the steep of the rock was a bastion. 1791W. Bartram Carolina 341 They then pass on rapidly to a high perpendicular steep of rocks. 1801Campbell Ye Mariners 22 Britannia needs no bulwarks, No towers along the steep. 1861M. Arnold Southern Night 23 There, where Gibraltar's cannon'd steep O'erfrowns the wave. 1883Mrs. Ritchie Bk. Sibyls i. 2 The old..highroad.. winds its way resolutely up the steep. 1899Daily News 24 Oct. 5/4 He broke and fell back, being driven pell mell over the steeps to the rear of his position.
transf.1860Dickens etc. Message fr. Sea iv. Christmas Stories (1874) 182 Having..launched the boat down the steep of the deck, into the water.
b. poet. of the sky.
1697Dryden Virg. Georg. i. 602 The setting Sun survey, When down the steep of Heav'n he drives the Day. 1837Carlyle Fr. Rev. I. ii. i, Behold the new morning glittering down the eastern steeps. 1850S. Dobell Roman ii. 26 Let me breathe thee round the base Of the celestial steep. 1878Joaquin Miller Songs of Italy 87, I have looked to the steeps of the starry sky.
c. fig.
1742Young Nt. Th. vii. 705 By straining up the steep of excellent What gains she? 1780J. Adams in Fam. Lett. (1876) 380 Hercules marches here in full view of the steeps of virtue on one hand and the flowery paths of pleasure on the other. 1877L. Morris Epic of Hades iii. 32 For Knowledge is a steep which few may climb, While Duty is a path which all may tread. 1883S. C. Hall Retrospect II. 132 His first wife helped him up the steep, cheered him on the way [etc.]. 1910W. James Mem. & Stud. 275 The notion of a sheep's paradise like that revolts, they say, our higher imagination. Where then would be the steeps of life?
†2. a steep (advb. phr.), steeply sloping. Obs.
1573–80Tusser Husb. (1878) 98 Some maketh a hollownes, halfe a foot deepe, with fower sets in it, set slant wise a steepe.
C. adv.
1. With a steep slope, abruptly.
1548Thomas Ital. Dict. (1550), Rattezza, quickenesse, or the goyng stype vp hyll. 1548Elyot's Dict., Præruptè, stype without any bendying.
2. to run steep = to run high (high adv. 9).
1894Outing (U.S.) XXIV. 475/2 Others..are never so happy as when enjoying a glorious thresh to windward, with..the sea running steep.
†3. With the eyes wide open. Obs.
14..Guy Warw. 7730 He lokyd vp steype starande.
4. Comb. with pres. and pa. pples., as steep-ascending, steep-bending, steep-cut, steep-descending, steep-hanging, steep-rising, steep-yawning.
1727–46Thomson Summer 608 The *steep-ascending eagle soars With upward pinions through the flood of day.
1538Elyot Dict., Accliue, *stepe bendynge.
1888Kipling Lett. Marque (1891) xv. 115 Up rough banks..down *steep-cut dips. 1901Harper's Mag. CII. 741/2 They found themselves on top of a steep-cut bluff.
1728Thomson Spring Seasons (1730) 41 The trembling Steed..*steep-descending stems The headlong Torrents foaming down the Hills.
1591Sylvester Du Bartas i. vii. 26 Here from a craggy Rock's *steep-hanging boss..A silver Brook in broken streams doth gush.
Ibid. ii. iii. iii. Law 659 Can we (like Birds) with still-*steep-rising flight Surmount these Mountains?
1725Armstrong Imit. Shaks. 177 Misc. Wks. 1770 I. 157 A gulph that swallows vision, with wide mouth *Steep-yawning to receive them.
▪ III. steep, v.1|stiːp|
Forms: 5–6 stepe, stipe, 5–7 steepe, 6 stiep(e, stype, (steyp), pa. pple. stept, 6–7 steap, 6– steep.
[Of difficult etymology. On the assumption that (notwithstanding the late date at which it is recorded) the vb. represents an OE. *stíepan, *stépan, it would be the formal equivalent of Sw. stöpa, Da. støbe, Norw. støypa, to steep (seeds, barley for malting):—OTeut. type *staupjan, perhaps f. *staupo-m (OE. stéap, ON. staup, stoup) vessel for liquor. Cf. Norw. setja korn i staup = to put corn in steep (see steep n.1).
The mod. Scandinavian words cited coincide in form with a verb meaning to cast down, to cast (metals), to run (candles, etc.) into a mould, which descends from ON. støypa of the same meaning, a causative of ON. stúpa (once), Sw. stupa to stoop. It is phonologically impossible that, as is usually supposed, the Eng. word can be a. ON. støypa: and even if it be referred to an OE. *stíepan corresponding to the ON. vb., the development of sense appears less natural on this view than on that suggested above.]
1. trans. To soak in water or other liquid; chiefly, to do so for the purpose of softening, altering in properties, cleansing, or the like, or for that of extracting some constituent. Const. in, rarely with.
c1400Mandeville (Roxb.) xviii. 84 Þai take alde peper and stepez it and strewez apon it spume of siluer. c1420Liber Cocorum (1862) 46 Fyrst sethe þy mustuls..In water,..Þer in þou stepe white brede fayre. c1440Pallad. on Husb. xii. 545 Elite olyues xl dayes stepe In oil barm. 1530Palsgr. 734/2, I stepe, I laye in water, or lay a stepe any salte meate to take out the brine, je destrempe. Stepe this salt fysshe. 1533Elyot Cast. Helthe (1539) 41 Also wyne..wherin rootes of perseley or fenel be stieped. 1561Hollybush Hom. Apoth. 34 b, A slyce of bread styped in colde water. 1565Jewel Def. Apol. (1611) 463 The Priests..vsed to dip or to stipe the Sacred Body of our Lord vnder forme of Bread in the consecrated Blood and so to giue it to the people. 1577Harrison England i. ii. vi. (1877) 156 Our Mault is made of the best Barley, which is steeped in a cysterne..vntyll it be thorowlye soked. 1587Greene Tritameron ii. I 1 b, Hanniball..stieped poyson in a cuppe of drinke. 1594Gd. Huswifes Handmaid Kitchin 43 Take faire bread and Vinigar, & steep the bread with some of the same broth. 1611Shakes. Wint. T. ii. i. 40 There may be in the Cup A Spider steep'd. 1617Moryson Itin. i. 114 Into the foresaid Lake they cast flax, which will be steeped in that water in 14 houres. 1697Dryden Virg. Georg. i. 280 Some steep their Seed, and some in Cauldrons boil. 1769Mrs. Raffald Eng. Housekpr. (1778) 69 Steep your ham all night in water. 1800G. Rose Diaries (1860) I. 284 The distillers steep their malt a fortnight before they can use it. 1815J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art II. 823 When he steeped seeds..in a strong solution of liver of sulphur, he never lost a seed by vermin. 1844G. Dodd Textile Manuf. v. 148 The [flax] plants are then..steeped, a very important operation. 1849Balfour Man. Bot. §248 Some have advocated a system of steeping seeds and grains in certain solutions before sowing them. 1890Hardwicke's Sci.-Gossip XXVI. 53 The Hottentots..use the leaves steeped in brandy for all sorts of complaints.
b. absol. To soak barley or malt.
1390–1Earl Derby's Exped. (Camden) 74 Pro ij fattes..pro stepyng yn. 1468Cov. Leet-bk. 338 Þat noman..fech watir þens to brue nor to stepe with, vp þe peyn of iiij d.
c. To plunge or bathe (one's face, eyes, limbs, etc.) in water. Somewhat rare.
1579Spenser Sheph. Cal. Mar. 116 But see the Welkin thicks apace, And stouping Phebus steepes his face. 1708N. Blundell Diary (1895) 62, I Steeped my Feet in hot Whey..to make my Cornes come out. 1865Dickens Mut. Fr. iii. xv, I have steeped my eyes in cold water. 1893Stevenson Catriona vii, I sat by the lake side.., and there steeped my wrists and laved my temples.
transf.1817Shelley Rev. Islam i. li, The wingless boat paused where an ivory stair Its fretwork in the crystal sea did steep.
d. transf. Of mist, vapour, smoke, light: To ‘bathe’, envelop like a flood.
1798Coleridge Anc. Mariner vi. xvii, The moonlight steeped in silentness The steady weathercock. 1817Shelley Rev. Islam i. ii, Long trains of tremulous mist began to..steep The orient sun in shadow. 1860Tyndall Glac. i. v. 37 The Glacier..was also steeped for a time in the same purple light. 1887M. E. Braddon Like & Unlike x, Every room was steeped in tobacco. 1890Bridges Shorter Poems i. ii. 1 A river-mist is steeping The trees.
2. To soak, saturate, thoroughly moisten. Const. in, rarely with (water, blood, dye, etc.); also simply in pass. (now dial.), to be wet through.
1590Spenser F.Q. ii. vi. 18 Then she with liquors strong his eyes did steepe, That nothing should him hastily awake. Ibid. iii. i. 65 Drops of purple bloud..Which did her lilly smock with staines of vermeil steepe. 1593Shakes. 3 Hen. VI, ii. i. 62 A Napkin, steeped in the harmlesse blood Of sweet young Rutland. 1633Ld. Warriston Diary (S.H.S.) 185 Evin so that with tears my naipkin was lyk on steaped in walter [sic]. 1717Pope Iliad xi. 729 His Coursers steep'd in Sweat, and stain'd with Gore. 1720Ibid. xvii. 415 A sanguine Torrent steeps the reeking Ground. 1768Sterne Sent. Journ. (1778) II. 177 (Maria) My handkerchief..was steep'd too much already to be of use. 1812J. Wilson Isle of Palms i. 303 Oh! must those eyes be steep'd in tears. 1849Aytoun Lays Scott. Cavaliers (ed. 2) 20 Never yet was royal banner Steeped in such a costly dye. 1892Verney Mem. I. 5 There was probably little or no glass in the house of Henry VII.'s time; linen steeped in oil was the substitute. 1898Shetld. News 27 Aug. (E.D.D.) My claes wis dat wye steepid 'at da watter ran doon ower my hide.
fig.1595Shakes. John iii. iv. 147 For he that steepes his safetie in true blood, Shall finde but bloodie safety. 1607Dekker & Webster Sir T. Wyat B j b, See, on my knees I humbly take my leaue, And steep my wordes with teares.
b. To soak or imbrue (a weapon, etc.) in blood, poison, etc.
1594Kyd Cornelia ii. 283 Would Death had steept his dart in Lernas blood. 1594Chapman Shadow of Nt. C j, No pen can any thing eternall wright, That is not steept in humor of the Night. 1602Shakes. Ham. ii. ii. 533 With tongue in Venome steep'd. 1817Shelley Rev. Islam vii. i, Time, though he wield the darts of death and sleep, And those thrice mortal barbs in his own poison steep.
c. hyperbolically. To ‘soak’ in alcoholic liquor: with reference to constant or excessive drinking; chiefly in pass. Also, to deaden, stupefy (one's memory, senses), to drown (grief, etc.) in liquor.
a1592Greene Jas. IV, 1735 Our iolly horsekeeper, being well stept in licor, confessed to me the stealing of my maisters writings. 1601B. Jonson Poetaster iii. v, And liue like them, That..euery eu'en, with neat wine steeped be. 1649Lovelace Poems 97 When thirsty griefe in Wine we steepe. 1746Francis tr. Hor., Sat. ii. i. 10 Swim o'er the Tiber, if you want to sleep, Or the dull Sense in t' other Bottle steep. 1821Scott Kenilw. iii, Unless my memory fails me, (for I did steep it somewhat too deeply in the sack-butt). 1839W. Carleton Fardorougha xiv. 201 ‘He is afeard if he got drunk that he might n't be able to keep his own secret.’ ‘Ah, thin be the holy Nelly, we'll steep him yet.’ 1856Emerson Eng. Traits, Race Wks. (Bohn) II. 31 A wealthy, juicy, broad-chested creature, steeped in ale and good cheer. 1862M. E. Braddon Lady Audley xxxiii, He was steeped to the very lips in alcohol.
d. fig. (jocular) To ‘wet’, initiate or celebrate by a drink.
1765Sterne Tr. Shandy viii. xxviii, Here's a crown, corporal, to begin with, to steep thy commisssion.
3. In various metaphorical applications.
a. To ‘bathe’ (the heart, head, limbs, etc.) in slumber or rest.
1591Spenser Virg. Gnat 245 Sleep; Which..In quiet rest his molten heart did steep. 1635Quarles Embl. i. vii, Is this a time to steepe Thy braines in wastfull slumbers? 1697Dryden Virg. Georg. iv. 278 When once in Beds their weary Limbs they steep, No buzzing Sounds disturb their Golden Sleep. 1827Keble Chr.-Y., Sun of my soul ii, When the soft dews of kindly sleep My wearied eyelids gently steep. 1833Tennyson Lotos-Eaters 66 We only toil..Nor steep our brows in slumber's holy balm.
b. To soak and stupefy or deaden (grief, the senses) in (sleep, etc.).
1597Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, iii. i. 8 O Sleepe,..thou no more wilt weigh my eye-lids downe, And steepe my Sences in Forgetfulnesse. 1602Marston Antonio's Rev. i. iii, My sense was steep't in horrid dreames. 1790Cowper Mother's Pict. 19 Fancy..Shall steep me in Elysian reverie. 1822Lamb Elia Ser. ii. Detached Thoughts on Books, She has snatched an hour..to steep her cares, as in some Lethean cup, in spelling out their enchanting contents. 1856Merivale Rom. Emp. l. V. 534 Messalina..steeped the senses of her consort in brutal indulgences. 1882B. Harte Flip ii, He awoke with the aroma of the woods still steeping his senses.
c. To involve deeply in a state or condition; to imbue or permeate thoroughly (with some quality); to make profoundly acquainted (with a subject of study); to absorb in (a pursuit). Const. in. Chiefly in pass.; often, to be steeped to the lips.
1603Chettle etc. Grissill A 4, All his words and deedes are like his birth, Steept in true honor. 1604Shakes. Oth. iv. ii. 50 Had they..Steep'd me in pouertie to the very lippes. 1663Patrick Parab. Pilgrim xxvii. (1687) 293 He seldom departed from meditation, but..with..his whole heart steeped in new sweetness. 1833Tennyson Two Voices 47 Thou art so steeped in misery. 1837Carlyle Fr. Rev. III. ii. viii, Roland, so long steeped to the lips in disgust and chagrin, sends in his demission. 1850W. Irving Goldsmith xiv. 172 Langton..was still the..enthusiastic scholar, steeped to the lips in Greek. 1855Dickens Lett. (1880) I. 402, I am steeped in my story. 1856Kingsley Misc. (1860) II. 130 But Milton had steeped his whole soul in romance. 1868Morris Earthly Par. I. i. 304 Until the Golden Age seemed there to be, So steeped the land was in felicity. 1870Huxley Lay Serm. vi. (1874) 117 The whole of modern thought is steeped in science. 1882M. E. Braddon Mt. Royal iii, She has been steeped to the lips in worldliness and vanity. 1908J. O. Dykes Chr. Minister xiii. 142 There is a language of devotion in which the minister does well to steep himself.
4. intr. To undergo the process of soaking in liquor.
c1412Hoccleve De Reg. Princ. 1126 Men Yerne and desiren after muk so sore, Þat they good fame han leyd a watir yore, And rekken neuer how longe it þer stipe. c1440Pallad. on Husb. ii. 281 A day afore her settyng hem [sc. almonds] to stepe In meth is good. 1598Epulario B ij b, Lay it to steepe in a little red wine. 1648J. Beaumont Psyche ii. cvii, He having steeping, in a box of Jett, A blacker Liquor. 1769Mrs. Raffald Eng. Housekpr. (1778) 323 Put one ounce of isinglass to steep in cyder. 1808Scott Marm. i. xxx, The midnight draught of sleep, Where wine and spices richly steep, In massive bowl. 1809Parkins Culpepper's Eng. Physician 383 Then let them all steep ten days in the aquavitæ. 1913Daily Graphic 24 Mar. 13/4 Basins of water in which salt cod was steeping so that it might be ready for cooking.
b. transf. and fig.
1577Grange Golden Aphrod. E ij, As one whose browes had Morpheus bound and layde to stiepe ouer head and eares in the snowe of Tygetus. 1600Fairfax Tasso xx. cxliii, The camp was wonne, and all in blood doth steepe. 1849Cupples Green Hand xvi. (1856) 157 A huge lake, fringed in by a confused hazy bluish outline steeping in the heat. 1914Blackw. Mag. Feb. 231/1 In a loch at Moy the stars were steeping.
5. Comb.: chiefly in the names of vessels used in steeping malt, flesh, etc. (cf. steeping vbl. n.1 4), as steep cistern, † steep fat, (fat n.1 2), † steep lead (lead n.1 5 a), † steep-stone (Sc. and north.), steep tub; steep-grass, -weed, -wort, Pinguicula vulgaris, so called from its property of curdling milk; steep-skin dial. (see quot.); steep-water = steep n.1 4.
1839Ure Dict. Arts 93 [Malting] More barley is successively emptied into the *steep cistern.
1483Cath. Angl. 361/2 A *Stepe fatte, ptipsanarium. 1550N.C. Wills (Surtees 1908) 210 A stepffat of leyd.
1777J. Lightfoot Flora Scotica II. 1131 Pinguicula vulgaris... *Steep-grass.
1418Mem. Ripon (Surtees) III. 142 Item j *stepelede 24s. 1582Wills & Inv. N.C. (Surtees 1860) 88 Item in the kilne a lardge and new steapeleade.
1887S. Chesh. Gloss., Bagskin, the stomach of a calf salted, so as to be used as rennet in cheese-making. Also called *Steep-skin.
c1475Cath. Angl. 361/2 (Addit. MS.) A *Stepstane or fatt. 1599Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot. 317/1 Commisit dictis fratribus potestatem horrea, hortos, lie killis, cobillis, steip-stanis, granaria [etc.].
1627Capt. Smith Sea Gram. ix. 37 The *steepe Tubs in the chains to shift their Beefe, Porke, or Fish in salt water. 1867Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Steep-tub, a large tub in which salt provisions are soaked previous to being cooked.
1838T. Thomson Chem. Org. Bodies 1012 The *steep-water gradually acquires a yellow colour. 1876Encycl. Brit. IV. 267/2 The steep-water should then be changed.
1886Britten & Holland Plant-n., Steep-grass, *Steep-weed, or *Steep-wort, Pinguicula vulgaris, L.
Hence steeped ppl. a.
1599Drayton Heroical Ep., Geraldine to H. Howard (ed. 3) 95 b, That honey-steeped gall, We oft are sayd to bayte our Loues withall. 1639T. de la Grey Compl. Horsem. 348 Give him one of the steeped egges. 1648Hexham ii, Gerot Vlas, Rotten or Steeped Flaxe. 1710N. Blundell Diary (1895) 83, I Rosted my Steeped Wheat to make Coffy on.
▪ IV. steep, v.2|stiːp|
[f. steep a.]
1. trans. To place in a sloping position. Now only dial., to tilt (a cask). Cf. stoop v.
1613–16W. Browne Brit. Past. i. i. 20 Then did the God her body forwards steepe, And cast her for a while into a sleepe. 1837J. F. Palmer Gloss. to Mrs. Palmer's Dialogue Devon Dial., To Steep, to tilt or give an inclination to a barrel which is nearly run out. 1886W. Somerset Word-bk.
2. To make a slope on the top or side of (a) a hedge; (b) a stack. (See quots.) dial.
(a)1741in Hartland (Devon) Gloss. s.v. Steep, Shall not cut shrid lop or steep any hedge or hedges. 1837J. F. Palmer Gloss. to Mrs. Palmer's Dialogue Devon Dial., To Steep,..to dress or trim a hedge. 1856Morton Cycl. Agric. II. 724/1 (Devon.), to lade and steep hedges is to lay them down and bank up with earth.
(b)1854A. E. Baker Northampt. Gloss., Steep, to top up or make up a rick. 1887Kentish Gloss. s.v., To steep a stack, is to make the sides smooth and even, and to slope it up to the point of the roof.
3. intr. Of a cliff: To form a steep; to ‘drop’. Also of the sea: To slope.
1890Clark Russell Ocean Trag. I. iii. 46 He might just get a glimpse of green shore with a tremble of water..steeping to it. 1911Nation 16 Dec. 469/2 A huge hammer of mountains eight thousand feet high and steeping sheer into the sea. |