单词 | steep |
释义 | steepn.1 1. a. The process of steeping or soaking; the state of being steeped, esp. in (to lay) †a steep (obsolete), †in a steep (obsolete), in steep. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > liquid > condition of being or making wet > action or process of soaking or steeping > [noun] steepc1430 soakingc1440 steepingc1440 imbibing1584 imbution1657 insuccation1664 soakage1855 c1430 Two Cookery-bks. i. 16 Take þe brothe, þe pouches & þe lyuerys wer sodoun in, in a stipe or on fayre brede. 1526 Grete Herball ccccxvii. sig. Y.vv And lete the fylynge lay a stepe a day and a nyght in vyneygre. 1563 T. Gale Certaine Wks. Chirurg. iv. ii. f. 24v Let all these be beaten together and layed in stepe in Rose water. 1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World II. xxxii. vii. 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. 1707 J. Mortimer Whole Art Husbandry 175 Take Plantain, Rue, [etc.]..of each an handful,..lay them in steep in a Pint of old wash. 1709 G. Baillie Househ. Bk. (1911) 74 For makeing 2 stip of mallt..£6.0.0. 1765 Museum Rusticum 3 220 If barley is left too long on the steep in the same water, the water will grow slimy. 1800 Act 41 Geo. III c. 6 (title) For shortening..the Time of keeping in Steep for malting, Barley damaged by Rain. 1851 A. Marshall in H. Schroeder Ann. Yorksh. (1851) I. 419 Turning the beets inside out for the second steep. 1876 Encycl. Brit. IV. 267/2 81½ bushels of good dry barley will, after forty-eight hours steep, swell to exactly 100 bushels. 1905 W. R. Mackintosh Around Orkney Peat-fires (ed. 2) ii. 126 A farmer..had just taken his malt out of steep, when two excisemen paid him a visit. b. figurative. ΚΠ 1592 T. Nashe Pierce Penilesse (Brit. Libr. copy) sig. F2 v I haue tearmes (if I be vext) laid in steepe in Aqua fortis. ?1615 G. Chapman tr. Homer Odysses (new ed.) ii. 29 She..sweete sleepe Powr'd on each wooer; which so laid in steepe Their drowsie temples, that each brow did nod. 1628 R. Sanderson Two Serm. Paules-Crosse ii. 94 Hee..,doth but lay more roddes in steepe for his owne backe. 1895 ‘I. Maclaren’ Beside Bonnie Brier Bush 255 Man [doctor], ye 'ill need tae pit yir brains in steep. Is she clean beyond ye? ΘΚΠ the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > male > [noun] > midday plunge in hot weather the steep1486 1486 Bk. 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. 1575 G. Gascoigne Noble Arte Venerie xxxvii. 100 A Hart goeth to the steepe at noone in the heate of the day to keepe him from the flye. 1575 G. Gascoigne Noble Arte Venerie lxxix. 242 He goeth to the Steppe. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > receptacle or container > vessel > vessels for other specific purposes > [noun] > for steeping steep1614 steeper1737 1614 in W. S. Gibson Hist. Monastery 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; a solution or bath in which metals are dipped in preparation for electroplating; in Agriculture a wash for seeds; often with qualifying word, as alum, bran, lime steep, etc. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > sowing > [noun] > treatment of seed > wash for seeds steep1759 the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > washing > washing agents > [noun] > water or solutions > for soaking or steeping steep1759 presoak1919 1759 J. Mills tr. H. L. Duhamel du Monceau Pract. Treat. Husbandry i. xvii. 106 Steeps were brought very early into use in husbandry. 1805 R. 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. 1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 600 The manufacturer..is..careful to ensure their purification by subjecting them to a weak lime steep. 1882 W. Crookes Dyeing & Tissue-printing 134 The second peachwood beck may be saved and used for the first peachwood steep of the next lot. 1886 A. Watt Electro-deposition 287 Dips, or Steeps. Besides the potash solution, certain other liquids are employed in the nickel-plating after the work has been ‘potashed’ and scoured. 1891 G. E. Bonney Electro-plater's Handbk. 107 The required condition of surface for plating may be imparted by dipping them in an acid solution... The acid solutions are known as ‘dips’ or ‘steeps’. 1897 W. G. Smith tr. K. F. von Tubeuf 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. a. = rennet n.1 ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > substances for food preparation > [noun] > rennet cheeselipeOE runningOE yearning1371 congealinga1398 renninga1398 rueninga1398 rundlesa1400 curd?1440 rendles1440 pressure1486 rennet?a1500 ruen1510 runnet1577 rennet bag1611 earning1615 coagulum1658 cheese rennet1671 steep1688 stomach-bag1704 vell1724 1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 244/1 Bad Cheese..made of Burnt Milk, and of stinking and bad Runnet or Steep. 1771 E. Raffald Experienced Eng. Housekeeper (ed. 2) App. 373 To make Cream Cheese. Put one large spoonful of steep to five quarts of afterings. 1845 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 6 i. 108 The rennet, or steep as it is commonly called, is next added. 1895 E. Rydings Manx Tales 65 And, Mrs. Kelly, I'll be sendin' you a boddle of steep. b. Scottish. The plant Ranunculus flammula. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Ranunculaceae (crowfoot and allies) > [noun] > spearwort spearworta1400 spear-grass1548 spickwort1575 banewort1578 spire-grass1626 butter plate1853 steep1894 1894 J. Shaw in R. Wallace Country Schoolmaster (1899) 354 Steep, Ranunculus flammula, from its acting like rennet. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1916; most recently modified version published online March 2022). steepadj.n.2adv. A. adj. a. Extending to a great height; elevated, lofty. ΘΚΠ the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > vertical extent > [adjective] > great or considerable higheOE steepOE heaven-highOE highlyOE brentc1400 hightc1480 hichty1513 procere1542 tall1548 spiringa1552 towereda1552 tower-like1552 upstretched1563 airy1565 excelse1569 haughty1570 topless1589 lofty1590 procerous1599 kiss-sky1603 skyish1604 topful?1611 aspiringc1620 sky-high1622 hiddy1632 tiptoed1632 sublime1635 towering1638 soaring1687 mountain high1693 clamberinga1717 skied1730 towery1731 pyramidic1740 skyey1750 skyward1792 skyscraping1797 exulting1798 high-reaching1827 steepling1892 high-rise1964 hi1972 the world > space > relative position > inclination > [adjective] > inclined from level or sloping > steep (except of hills, etc.) staira1175 slidingc1325 steepa1400–50 side?a1475 right-up1511 steep-down1530 steepwise1542 headlonga1557 steep-up?a1560 pitch hill1560 pendent1587 high-pitched1596 steeped1596 perpendicular1598 steepy1735 declivitous1799 steepish1814 escarped1853 steep-cut1888 swooping1956 OE Riddle 3 10 Hornsalu wagiað, wera wicstede, weallas beofiað, steape ofer stiwitum. OE Beowulf 222 Beorgas steape. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 9887 [They] mid eorðe & mid stanen stepne hul makeden. a1400–50 Wars Alex. 4828 A cliffe at to þe cloudis semed, Þat was so staire & so stepe. c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness l. 1396 & Baltazar vpon bench was busked to sete, Stepe stayred stones of his stoute throne. c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 474/1 Steepe, nowt lowe, elevatus, ascendens. ?1615 G. Chapman tr. Homer Odysses (new ed.) i. 200 To a roome they came, Steepe, and of state. 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iv. 135 Where delicious Paradise,..Crowns with her enclosure green,..the champain head Of a steep wilderness. View more context for this quotation 1709 I. Watts Horæ Lyricæ (ed. 2) i. 59 His Breath can raise the Billows steep, Or sink them to the Sand. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > courage > valour > warlike valour > [adjective] proudc1275 steepc1275 wightc1275 sturdy1297 stoutc1325 valiantc1330 stern1390 martialc1425 pertc1450 stalwartc1480 talla1529 handsome1665 the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > quality of voice > [adjective] > loud or resonant loud971 highlyOE stithc1000 strongOE steepc1275 stiff1377 strengthfula1382 gross1398 stentorious15.. open-mouthed?1533 wildc1550 preclare?1553 strainable1569 trolling1581 main1582 wide-mouthed1589 full-mouthed1594 wide-mouth?c1599 stentorian1606 trump-like1609 stentorophonic1678 strenuous1680 open-mouth1702 stentorial1754 stentoronic1762 full-throated1820 trumpety1822 Stentor1837 c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 2932 And maken we..auer-alche hæpe. hertoȝe stæpne. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 772 Cuð nu þine strengða & þina stepa main [c1300 Otho þine mochele mihte]. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 768 Þer wes moni steap [c1300 Otho bold] mon mid stele to-swngen. a1400 Coer de L. 5985 Kyng Richard..cryyd on hym with voys ful stepe, ‘Home, schrewe!’ 2. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > unevenness > projection or prominence > [adjective] steepc1000 tooting?c1225 strutting1387 prominent?1440 extant1540 eminent?1541 pouting1563 poking1566 out1576 egregious1578 promontory1579 out-pointed1585 buttinga1593 outjetting1598 perking1598 jettying1609 juttying1609 out-jutting1611 outstanding1611 upsticking1611 out-shooting1622 jutting1624 outgrowing1625 rank1625 toting1645 projectinga1652 porrected1653 protruded1654 protruding1654 upcast1658 protending1659 jettinga1661 raised1663 starting1680 emersed1686 exerted1697 projective1703 jet-out1709 exorbitant1715 sticking1715 foreright1736 poky1754 perked-up1779 salient1789 prouda1800 overdriven1812 extrusive1816 stand-up1818 shouldering1824 jutty1827 outflung1830 sticky-out1839 sticking-up1852 outreaching1853 protrusive1858 out-thrusting1869 stickout1884 protrudent1891 the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > face > eye > [adjective] > by size, shape, etc. steepc1000 standing1340 glazenc1380 glassy1412 ungladlyc1450 sparklinga1500 goggle1540 pinking1566 whally1590 vailed1591 unweeping1598 dejected1600 unwet1601 glossed1602 haggard1605 saucer-like1612 saucer1618 glaring1622 uncast1629 startling1648 poppinga1696 upraised1707 glancy1733 glazed1735 almond1786 open-eyed1799 bald1807 glazing1808 lustreless1810 unfathomable1817 vague1820 soulless1824 beady1826 socketless1833 fishy1836 glazy1838 popped1849 agoggled1860 uprolled1864 unfaceted1893 shoe-button1895 poppy1899 googly1901 slitty1908 bead-berry1923 c1000 Ælfric Homilies I. 456 He hæfð steape eagan [= L. ‘oculi grandes’, Pass. S. Bartholomæi]. a1225 Leg. Kath. 307 Þe keiser bistarede hire wið swiðe steape ehnen hwil þat ha spek þus. c1320 Sir Beues 685 Wiþ stepe eiȝen & rowe bren So loþeliche he gan on hem sen,..þai were aferde. 1397 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (1495) iii. xvii. 64 Grete and stepe eyen [L. oculus eminens]..se not well aferre: but depe eyen se wel aferre. c1400 tr. Secreta Secret., Gov. Lordsh. 115 He þat hauys steepe-owt eghen [L. oculos extensos] ys malicious & feloun. c1405 (c1387–95) G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 201 His heed was balled..Hise eyen steepe, and rollynge in his heed. a1450 (c1410) H. Lovelich Hist. Holy Grail xiii. l. 651 With grete stepe Eyen In his hed Also. c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 3758 Crispe herit was the kyng,..Stokyn ene out stepe with a streught loke. c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 7724 His Ene [were] leuenaund with light as a low fyn, With stremys full stithe in his stepe loke. 1555 W. Waterman tr. J. Boemus Fardle of Facions ii. x. 212 The Tartares are very deformed,..hauying great stiepe eyes. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > light > intensity of light > [adjective] > bright shininga900 lighteOE lightlyOE sheenOE torhtOE shirea1000 steepa1000 shimmeringc1000 brightOE strongOE clear1297 fair?a1300 bright-shininga1387 merrya1393 skirea1400 lucident14.. shimc1400 staringc1400 luculentc1420 splendent1474 illuminousc1485 lucentc1500 bloominga1522 sheer1565 prelucent1568 faculent1575 splendant1578 lucid1591 neat1591 shine1596 translucent1596 well-lighted1606 nitid1615 lucible1623 dilucid1653 translucid1657 hard1660 the mind > attention and judgement > beauty > splendour > [adjective] > radiant shininga900 gladOE steepa1000 lightsomea1382 freshlyc1426 prefulgentc1480 flagrant?a1500 radiant1509 glazed?1510 refulgent1528 bright-headeda1560 shone1595 tinsel1595 skinkling1790 epiphanous1823 foudroyant1860 a1000 Gnomic Verses (Gr.) i. 23 Gim sceal on hringe standan steap & geap. a1000 Solomon & Saturn 284 Ne mæg hit steorra ne stan ne se steapa gimm..wihte beswican. a1225 Leg. Kath. 1647 A deorewurðe wal, schininde, & schenre, of ȝimstanes steapre Þen is eni steorre. a1225 St. Marher. 9 His twa ehnen steappre þene steorren ant þene ȝimstanes ant brad as bascins. c1330 King of Tars 15 Eyyen stepe and graye. c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness (1920) l. 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. a1529 J. Skelton Phyllyp Sparowe (?1545) sig. C.viii Her eyen gray and stepe Causeth myne hert to lepe. 1577 J. Grange Golden Aphroditis sig. Gjv 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 probably goes back to Old English, but is difficult to authenticate, as when applied to mountains, cliffs, etc. the word probably expressed a mixed notion of senses A. 1, A. 3. ΘΚΠ society > travel > means of travel > route or way > way, path, or track > [adjective] > uphill or steep steepc1175 acclive1616 uphill1622 upwith1864 uphillward1876 the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > slope > [adjective] > steep stickleOE steepc1175 shore14.. steyc1480 proclive1524 steeping1530 brant1545 steepy1565 abrupt1591 dreich1597 downsteepy1603 acclive1616 arduous1711 sharp1725 acclivous1730 rapid1785 declivitous1799 acclivitous1803 scarped1823 proclivitous1860 stoss1878 resequent1906 c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 11379 & ȝet te 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. 1539 T. Elyot Castel of Helthe (new ed.) 50 b Stronge or violente exercises be these..clymmyng or walkyng against a stipe vpright hyll. 1549 W. Thomas Hist. Italie f. 161 I thynke the stipe descent of the hill causeth, that they haue not roome enough to make theyr stretes large. 1598 W. Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost iv. i. 2 Was that the king that spurd his horse so hard, Against the steepe vp rising of the hill? View more context for this quotation 1605 R. Verstegan Restit. Decayed Intelligence iv. 98 These clifs..are..as it were cut of stiep or straight down, from the top to the bottom. 1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. i. 344 A mighty ridge of steepe high Cliffs [L. cautium eminentia]..runneth for seaven miles or there about, as far as to Dover. 1611 Bible (King James) Matt. viii. 32 The whole herd of swine ranne violently downe a steepe place into the Sea. View more context for this quotation 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ii. 71 The way seems difficult and steep to scale With upright wing against a higher foe. View more context for this quotation a1684 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1670 (1955) III. 560 Those huge steepe stayres ascending to it. 1718 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. Sept. (1965) I. 435 The Descent is..steep and slippery. 1796 H. Hunter tr. J.-H. B. de Saint-Pierre Stud. Nature (1799) I. 137 The declivity of the bason of the Sea is much steeper than that of the bounding lands. 1813 P. B. Shelley Queen Mab ix. 121 Again the burning wheels inflame The steep descent of heaven's untrodden way. 1838 T. Arnold Hist. Rome I. 32 The hills of Rome are..low in height but with steep and rocky sides. 1876 M. E. Braddon Joshua Haggard's Daughter II. 17 The narrow path..had been cut into steps where the slope was steepest. 1884 American 8 86 The road was built with needlessly steep gradients. b. transferred of movement. poetic. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > upward movement > [adjective] > rising steeply steep1603 steepy1681 1603 M. Drayton Barrons Wars vi. xxii. 129 That slippery way Where the most worldly prouident doe slide, Feeling the steepe fall threatning sure decay. 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iii. 741 [He] Throws his steep flight with [errata in] many an Aerie wheele. View more context for this quotation 1818 P. B. Shelley Homer's Hymn to Sun 22 His rapid steeds soon bear him to the West; Where their steep flight his hands divine arrest. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > land > landscape > low land > hole or pit > [adjective] > cave > steep-sided steep1569 1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 974 With diuers fortresses in the ditches, which were so broade and so plumme steepe that was wonder to beholde. 1598 Extracts Burgh Rec. Glasgow (1876) 189 His steip trocht and wolt biggit be him. 1601 Extracts Burgh Rec. Glasgow (1876) 189 Ane steip troche. 1608 E. Topsell Hist. Serpents 10 Ouid writeth:——Longo caput extulit antro, Cæruleus serpens..that is, The greenish Serpent extolld her head from denne so steepe. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > face > forehead > [adjective] > types of brentc1400 high?c1450 steep1509 high-browed?1614 broad-fronteda1616 bluff1665 low-browed1734 lofty1798 baby-browed1843 bluff-browed1851 beautiful-browed1913 1509 S. Hawes Pastime of Pleasure (1845) xxx. 146 Her forehead stepe, with fayre browes ybent. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > water > flow or flowing > [adjective] > swiftly or violently steepc1330 sturdy1426 fast-flowing1560 heady1562 strick1629 the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > precipitation or atmospheric moisture > rain > [adjective] > heavy steepc1330 pissingc1475 thightc1480 pouring1577 pashing1581 sad1590 steep-down1601 solid1621 even down1622 sluicy1697 pelting1710 buck1732 steeping1774 peppering1827 sluicing1847 torrential1849 peltering1858 plumping1879 teeming1880 lashing1885 monsoonish1886 sheeting1940 c1330 Arth. & Merl. 1450 Her vnder is a ȝerde depe A water, boþe swift & stepe. 1637 J. Milton Comus 4 And the gilded Carre of Day His glowing Axle doth allay, In the steepe Atlantik streame. 1659 A. Hay Diary (1901) 149 Mr Rot Broun and I cam away from Lanerick in a very steep raine. 1673 J. Milton Psalm LXXXI in Poems (new ed.) 148 I tri'd thee at the water steep of Meriba renown'd. f. Coal Mining. Of a seam or measure: Having a high inclination. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > minerals > mineral deposits > features of stratum or vein > [adjective] > high inclination steep1883 1883 W. S. Gresley Gloss. Terms Coal Mining 239 Steep seams [of coal]. 1892 Labour Comm. 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) (Mathematics), 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. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > algebra > [adjective] > relating to expressions > relating to functions > of method for finding minimum steepest descent(s)1939 1939 Proc. Royal Soc. 1938–9 A. 169 484 In the method of steepest descents the displacement affects all co-ordinates and affects them in the ratio of their residual forces. 1943 Bull. Amer. Math. Soc. 49 18 We now choose the line along which the motion proceeds so that the descent is as steep as possible (lines of steepest descent). 1974 P. R. Adby & M. A. H. 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. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > difficulty > [adjective] > difficult to do or accomplish higheOE grievousc1386 steep1598 arduous1718 leg-breaking1835 knobby1862 nut-cracking1982 1598 T. Bastard Chrestoleros iv. xii. 85 His heedlesse good and steepe presumptuousnesse. 1816 Ld. Byron Childe Harold: Canto III cv. 57 They were gigantic minds, and their steep aim, Was, Titan-like, on daring doubts to pile Thoughts which [etc.]. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > difficulty > [adjective] > of difficulties: hard to surmount steep1644 severe1774 1644 J. Milton Areopagitica 1 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. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > manner of action > rapidity or speed of action or operation > [adjective] > acting with haste > foolishly or recklessly hastivec1300 racklec1300 hastya1375 foolhastya1393 headya1425 properant1531 headlonga1533 steep1601 precipitate1607 precipitant1608 proclive1609 precipitious1612 precipitous1646 precipitating1681 ram-stam1786 precipit1922 1601 B. Jonson Epos in R. Chester Loves Martyr 180 Who..Would at suggestion of a steepe Desire, Cast himselfe from the spire Of all his Happinesse? 1649 J. Milton Εικονοκλαστης v. 42 The stay and support of all things from that steep ruin, to which he had nigh brought them. 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost vi. 324 It met The sword of Satan with steep force to smite Descending. View more context for this quotation 1673 J. Milton Psalm VII in Poems (new ed.) 141 With ruine steep. d. Of inequalities, contrasts: Violent, extreme. ΚΠ 1856 R. W. Emerson Eng. Traits xviii. 305 The feudal system survives in the steep inequality of property and privilege. 1856 R. W. Emerson Eng. Traits vi. 118 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. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > monetary value > price > high price or rate > [adjective] high1542 strong1599 rank1604 exorbitant1670 extravagant1707 stiff1824 sky-high1829 steep1856 stratospherical1936 the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > [adjective] > specifically of difference far1509 steep1856 the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > exaggeration, hyperbole > [adjective] > extravagant, excessive overdoinga1425 ramping1484 egregious1566 desperatea1568 outlandish1588 hyperbolical1589 furious1671 wanton1680 outré1722 steep1856 plush horse1936 the world > relative properties > quantity > sufficient quantity, amount, or degree > excessive amount or degree > [adjective] > excessive or too great in amount or degree > excessive in degree unmeasurablea1398 dismeasurec1400 dismeasurable1477 dismeasured1483 over1494 endlya1513 intolerable1544 wide1574 overloading1576 unconscionable1576 meanless1587 powerable1588 hyperbolical1589 extravagant1598 grievous1632 flagrant1634 exorbitant1648 overbearinga1708 unbalanced1712 well-favoured1746 steep1856 thick1884 ripe1918 the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > exaggeration, hyperbole > [adjective] hyperbolical?a1475 overchargeda1542 magnificate1568 amplified1580 superlative1586 fulsome1602 hyperthetical?1611 hyperbolous1638 hyperbolic1646 bloata1657 exaggerated1725 overshot1774 overstuffed1808 overdrawn1841 fine-drawn1888 steep1895 larger-than-life1937 blown-up1961 the mind > mental capacity > belief > disbelief, incredulity > [adjective] > unbelievable > taxing credulity tough1820 steep1895 1856 Knickerbocker Mag. Apr. 362 in R. H. Thornton Amer. Gloss. (1912) He's too steep in his price, anyway. 1857 Chicago Tribune 17 Oct. 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. 1895 Westm. Gaz. 22 Apr. 4/3 This is rather a steep statement, even for a party that exists on credit. 1901 Munsey's Mag. 24 441/1 Forty thousand marks..is a pretty steep price even for a royal motor carriage. B. n.2 1. a. The declivity or slope of a mountain, hill, cliff; a steep or precipitous place. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > slope > [noun] > steep cliffOE cleevec1300 hangingc1400 braea1500 steep1555 steepness1585 proclivity1645 upright1712 sliddera1793 snab1797 scarp1802 escarpment1815 shin1817 escarp1856 hag1868 jump-off1873 inface1896 fault-scarp1897 scarping1909 fault-line scarp1911 steephead1918 jump-up1927 1555 R. Eden tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde ii. ix. f. 84 Ryuers..wherwith al suche trees as are planted on the stiepe or foote of the mountaynes, as vines..are watered. 1615 G. Sandys Relation of Journey 27 Having climbed the mountaine steepe towards the sea. a1616 W. Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream (1623) ii. i. 69 Why art thou heere Come from the farthest steepe [1600 steppe] of India? 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iv. 680 How often from the steep Of echoing Hill..have we heard Celestial voices. View more context for this quotation 1720 D. Defoe Mem. Cavalier 80 On the Steep of the Rock was a Bastion. 1791 W. Bartram Trav. N. & S. Carolina 341 They then pass on rapidly to a high perpendicular steep of rocks. 1801 T. Campbell Ye Mariners of Eng. 22 Britannia needs no bulwarks, No towers along the steep. 1861 M. Arnold Southern Night 23 There, where Gibraltar's cannon'd steep O'erfrowns the wave. 1883 A. I. Ritchie Bk. of Sibyls i. 2 The old..highroad.. winds its way resolutely up the steep. 1899 Daily News 24 Oct. 5/4 He broke and fell back, being driven pell mell over the steeps to the rear of his position. b. poetic of the sky. ΚΠ 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics i, in tr. Virgil Wks. 67 The setting Sun survey, When down the Steep of Heav'n he drives the Day. View more context for this quotation 1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. I. ii. i. 43 Behold the new morning glittering down the eastern steeps. 1850 ‘S. Yendys’ Roman ii. 26 Let me breathe thee round the base Of the celestial steep. 1878 J. Miller Songs Italy 87 I have looked to the steeps of the starry sky. c. figurative. ΚΠ 1744 E. Young Complaint: Night the Seventh 35 By straining up the Steep of Excellent..What gains she? 1780 J. Adams in J. Adams & A. Adams Familiar 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. 1877 L. Morris Epic of Hades iii. 32 For Knowledge is a steep which few may climb, While Duty is a path which all may tread. 1883 S. C. Hall Retrospect Long Life II. 132 His first wife helped him up the steep, cheered him on the way [etc.]. 1910 W. 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? ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > inclination > obliquely [phrase] > steeply sloping a steep1573 1573 T. Tusser Fiue Hundreth Points Good Husbandry (new ed.) f. 42 Some maketh a hollownes, halfe a foote deepe, with fower sets in it, set slant wise a steepe. C. adv. 1. With a steep slope, abruptly. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > slope > [adverb] > steeply steep1548 abruptly1623 precipitously1659 steeply1772 precipitately1794 1548 W. Thomas Ital. Gram. & Dict. (1550) Rattezza, quickenesse, or the goyng stype vp hyll. 1548 T. Cooper Bibliotheca Eliotæ (rev. ed.) Præruptè, stype without any bendying. 2. to run steep = to run high at high adv. Phrases 5. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > water > flow or flowing > wave > movement of waves > move restlessly about [verb (intransitive)] > run high, surge, or heave flash1387 lifta1400 walterc1400 waverc1425 welter1489 jaw1513 roll?1532 surge1566 billow1596 to run high1598 estuate1658 to run steep1894 roil1913 1894 Outing 24 475/2 Others..are never so happy as when enjoying a glorious thresh to windward, with..the sea running steep. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > face > eye > [adverb] > by size, shape, etc. steep14.. thrawnlya1522 haggardly1860 saucer-like1861 radiantly1877 14.. Guy Warw. 7730 He lokyd vp steype starande. Compounds C1. Compounds of the adjective. a. attributive and in other combinations. steep-grade adj. ΚΠ 1896 Daily News 25 Feb. 5/4 The..steep-grade tramway. b. Chiefly parasynthetic. steep-backed adj. ΚΠ 1889 F. Cowper Capt. of Wight 227 The old man once more turned to climb the steep-backed hill. steep-faced adj. ΚΠ 1894 J. C. Atkinson Mem. Old Whitby 60 The steep-faced cliff. steep-fronted adj. ΚΠ 1936 Nature 21 Mar. 491/2 The test piece is flashed over with a steep-fronted impulse in about a microsecond or less. steep-gabled adj. ΚΠ 1915 Blackwood's Mag. Jan. 124/2 A steep-gabled house. steep-pitched adj. ΚΠ 1885 E. P. Warren & C. F. M. Cleverly Wanderings ‘Beetle’ 140 We swung under the bridge, and ran in to the steep-pitched landing. steep-pointed adj. ΚΠ 1912 ‘G. Thorne’ Great Acceptance (1915) x. 255 Turrets with steep-pointed roofs. steep-roofed adj. ΚΠ 1814 W. Scott Waverley I. viii. 108 The house, which seemed to consist of two or three high, narrow, and steep-roofed buildings. View more context for this quotation steep-scarped adj. ΚΠ 1878 A. C. Ramsay Physical Geol. & Geogr. Great Brit. xviii. 296 The steep-scarped front..faces to the north-west. steep-sided adj. ΚΠ 1856 E. K. Kane Arctic Explor. I. ix. 93 Large gorges..generally steep-sided. steep-streeted adj. ΚΠ 1872 M. Collins Two Plunges for Pearl I. vi. 116 The steep-streeted little town of Silveroar. c. Also steep-down adj., steep-to adj., steep-up adj., steepwise adv. and adj. ΚΠ 1588 T. Kyd tr. T. Tasso Housholders Philos. f. 19v Whether it lie steepeward downe the hyls, vneasie and painful to be past. C2. Compounds of the adverb, with present and past participles. steep-ascending adj. ΚΠ 1727 J. Thomson Summer 42 The steep-ascending Eagle soars, With upward Pinions. steep-bending adj. ΚΠ 1538 T. Elyot Dict. Accliue, stepe bendynge. steep-cut adj. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > inclination > [adjective] > inclined from level or sloping > steep (except of hills, etc.) staira1175 slidingc1325 steepa1400–50 side?a1475 right-up1511 steep-down1530 steepwise1542 headlonga1557 steep-up?a1560 pitch hill1560 pendent1587 high-pitched1596 steeped1596 perpendicular1598 steepy1735 declivitous1799 steepish1814 escarped1853 steep-cut1888 swooping1956 1888 R. Kipling Lett. Marque (1891) xv. 115 Up rough banks..down steep-cut dips. 1901 Harper's Mag. 102 741/2 They found themselves on top of a steep-cut bluff. steep-descending adj. ΚΠ 1728 J. Thomson Spring 41 The trembling Steed..steep-descending stems The headlong Torrents foaming down the Hills. steep-hanging adj. ΚΠ 1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. i. vii. 232 Heere, from a craggie Rocks steep-hanging bosse..A siluer Brooke in broken streames doth gush. steep-rising adj. ΚΠ 1606 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. (new ed.) ii. iii. 77 Can we (like Birds) with still-steepe-rising flight Surmount these Mountaines? steep-yawning adj. ΚΠ 1770 J. Armstrong Misc. I. 157 A gulph that swallows vision, with wide mouth Steep-yawning to receive them. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1916; most recently modified version published online March 2022). steepv.1 1. a. transitive. 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. ΘΠ the world > matter > liquid > condition of being or making wet > action or process of soaking or steeping > soak or steep [verb (transitive)] imbibec1386 steepc1400 soaka1425 temper1490 delay1526 imbruea1575 seethe1599 embalm1623 imbute1657 infund1657 elixate1658 puddle1701 sug1706 sop1853 c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (Roxb.) xviii. 84 Þai take alde peper and stepez it and strewez apon it spume of siluer. c1440 Pallad. on Husb. xii. 545 Elite olyues xl dayes stepe In oil barm. a1475 Liber Cocorum (Sloane) (1862) 46 Fyrst sethe þy mustuls..In water,..Þer in þou stepe white brede fayre. 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 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. 1539 T. Elyot Castel of Helthe (new ed.) 41 Also wyne..wherin rootes of perseley or fenel be stieped. 1561 J. Hollybush tr. H. Brunschwig Most Excellent Homish Apothecarye f. 34v A slyce of bread styped in colde water. 1565 J. Jewel Def. Apol. Churche Eng. (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. 1577 W. Harrison Descr. Eng. (1877) i. ii. vi. 156 Our Mault is made of the best Barley, which is steeped in a cysterne..vntyll it be thorowlye soked. 1587 R. Greene Morando ii. sig. Iv Hanniball..stieped poyson in a cuppe of drinke. 1594 Good Huswifes Handmaide 43 Take faire bread and Vinigar, & steep the bread with some of the same broth. a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) ii. i. 42 There may be in the Cup A Spider steep'd . View more context for this quotation 1617 F. Moryson Itinerary i. 114 Into the foresaid Lake they cast flax, which will be steeped in that water in 14 houres. 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics i, in tr. Virgil Wks. 57 Some Steep their Seed, and some in Cauldrons boil. View more context for this quotation 1769 E. Raffald Experienced Eng. House-keeper iii. 59 Steep your Ham all Night in Water. 1800 G. Rose Diaries (1860) I. 284 The distillers steep their malt a fortnight before they can use it. 1815 J. 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. 1844 G. Dodd Textile Manuf. Great Brit. v. 148 The [flax] plants are then..steeped, a very important operation. 1849 J. H. Balfour Man. Bot. §248 Some have advocated a system of steeping seeds and grains in certain solutions before sowing them. 1890 Hardwicke's Sci.-gossip 26 53 The Hottentots..use the leaves steeped in brandy for all sorts of complaints. b. absol. To soak barley or malt. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > drink > manufacture of alcoholic drink > malting > [verb (intransitive)] > soak grains steep1390 1390–1 Earl Derby's Exped. (Camden) 74 Pro ij fattes..pro stepyng yn. 1468 Cov. 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. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > liquid > condition of being or making wet > action or process of immersing or dipping > immerse or dip [verb (transitive)] > the body, face, etc. washc1175 steep1579 the world > space > place > placing or fact of being placed in (a) position > insertion or putting in > insert or put in [verb (transitive)] > in a surrounding medium plungec1380 bathec1386 bay1590 immerse1695 steep1708 1579 E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. Mar. 116 But see the Welkin thicks apace, And stouping Phebus steepes his face. 1708 N. Blundell Diary (1895) 62 I Steeped my Feet in hot Whey..to make my Cornes come out. 1865 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend II. iii. xv. 140 I have steeped my eyes in cold water. 1893 R. L. Stevenson Catriona vii. 69 I sat by the lake side..and there steeped my wrists and laved my temples. d. transferred. Of mist, vapour, smoke, light: To ‘bathe’, envelop like a flood. ΘΠ the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > covering > wrapping > wrap [verb (transitive)] > enfold or envelop > in a surrounding medium belapc1175 take?a1300 wrapa1382 environa1393 enumberc1400 involvea1420 enfoldc1425 bewrapa1430 mantlec1450 envelop1474 enwrap1545 imply1590 circumvolve1607 circumfuse1608 becloaka1618 swathe1624 gird1645 wrap1656 velope1722 steep1798 bathe1816 cloak1818 impall1852 atmosphere1881 kirtle1888 1798 S. T. Coleridge Anc. Marinere vi, in W. Wordsworth & S. T. Coleridge Lyrical Ballads 41 The moonlight steep'd in silentness The steady weathercock. 1817 P. B. Shelley Laon & Cythna i. ii. 2 Long trains of tremulous mist began to..steep The orient sun in shadow. 1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. v. 37 The Glacier..was also steeped for a time in the same purple light. 1887 M. E. Braddon Like & Unlike I. x. 236 Every room was steeped in tobacco. 1890 R. Bridges Shorter Poems i. ii. 1 A river-mist is steeping The trees. 2. a. To soak, saturate, thoroughly moisten. Const. in, rarely with (water, blood, dye, etc.); also simply in passive (now dialect), to be wet through. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > liquid > condition of being or making wet > condition of being or making very wet > make very wet [verb (transitive)] drenchc1000 washc1275 drowna1300 drunkena1300 drunka1382 bewetc1400 bedrenchc1450 bucka1513 sowp1513 drooka1522 sousea1542 soaken1577 overdrown1579 soss1587 embay1590 steep1590 overdrencha1592 embathe1593 indrench1593 imbue1594 douse1606 besob1609 bucket1621 sob1625 dash1670 sop1682 saturate1696 float1729 water1754 sodden1812 douche1864 poach1881 tosh1883 sod1895 1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene ii. vi. sig. R4 Then she with liquors strong his eies did steepe, That nothing should him hastily awake. 1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene iii. i. sig. Cc6 Drops of purple blood..Which did her lilly smock with staines of vermeil steep. a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 3 (1623) ii. i. 62 A Napkin, steeped in the harmelesse blood Of sweet young Rutland. View more context for this quotation 1633 A. Johnston Diary (1911) I. 185 Evin so that with tears my naipkin was lyk on steaped in walter [sic]. 1717 A. Pope tr. Homer Iliad III. xi. 728 His Coursers steep'd in Sweat, and stain'd with Gore. 1720 A. Pope tr. Homer Iliad V. xvii. 415 A sanguine Torrent steeps the reeking Ground. 1768 L. Sterne Sentimental Journey II. 177 My handkerchief..was steep'd to [sic] much already to be of use. 1812 J. Wilson Isle of Palms i. 303 Oh! must those eyes be steep'd in tears. 1849 W. E. Aytoun Lays Sc. Cavaliers (ed. 2) 20 Never yet was royal banner Steeped in such a costly dye. 1892 F. P. Verney et al. Mem. Verney Family Civil War I. 5 There was probably little or no glass in the house of Henry VII.'s time; linen steeped in oil was the substitute. 1898 Shetld. News 27 Aug. (E.D.D.) My claes wis dat wye steepid 'at da watter ran doon ower my hide. b. To soak or imbrue (a weapon, etc.) in blood, poison, etc. ΘΠ the world > matter > liquid > condition of being or making wet > action or process of soaking or steeping > soak or steep [verb (transitive)] > a weapon, etc., in blood, poison, etc. steep1594 1594 T. Kyd tr. R. Garnier Cornelia ii. 283 Would Death had steept his dart in Lernas blood. 1594 G. Chapman Σκìα Νυκτòς sig. C No pen can any thing eternall wright, That is not steept in humor of the Night. 1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet ii. ii. 513 With tongue in venom steept . View more context for this quotation 1817 P. B. Shelley Laon & Cythna vii. i. 156 Time, tho' 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 passive. Also, to deaden, stupefy (one's memory, senses), to drown (grief, etc.) in liquor. ΘΠ the mind > emotion > absence of emotion > make emotionally unfeeling [verb (transitive)] > deaden or dull the emotions > in sleep, liquor, etc. steepa1592 the world > food and drink > drink > thirst > excess in drinking > [verb (transitive)] > deaden or drown in drink steepa1592 beliquor1631 a1592 R. Greene Sc. Hist. Iames IV (1598) iv. sig. G3 Our iolly horsekeeper beeing well stept in licor, confessed to me the stealing of my Maisters writings. 1616 B. Jonson Poëtaster (rev. ed.) iii. v, in Wks. I. 309 And liue like them, That..euery eu'en, with neat wine steeped be. 1649 R. Lovelace Lucasta: Epodes, Odes, Sonnets, Songs 97 When thirsty griefe in Wine we steepe. 1746 P. Francis & W. Dunkin tr. Horace Satires ii. i. 10 Swim o'er the Tiber, if you want to sleep, Or the dull Sense in t' other Bottle steep. 1821 W. Scott Kenilworth I. iii. 52 Unless my memory fails me, (for I did steep it somewhat too deeply in the sack-butt). 1839 W. Carleton Fardorougha xiv. 319 ‘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.’ 1856 R. W. Emerson Eng. Traits iv. 76 A wealthy, juicy, broad-chested creature, steeped in ale and good cheer. 1862 M. E. Braddon Lady Audley's Secret III. i. 23 He was steeped to the very lips in alcohol. d. figurative (jocular) To ‘wet’, initiate or celebrate by a drink. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > drink > drinking > [verb (transitive)] > drink intoxicating liquor > celebrate or initiate with drink weta1687 steep1765 to wet the baby's head1881 1765 L. Sterne Life Tristram Shandy VIII. xxviii. 126 Here's a crown, corporal, to begin with, to steep thy commission. 3. In various metaphorical applications. a. To ‘bathe’ (the heart, head, limbs, etc.) in slumber or rest. ΘΠ the world > physical sensation > sleeping and waking > sleep > [verb (transitive)] > other specific conditions or actions steep1591 snore1600 outsleep1627 1591 E. Spenser Virgil's Gnat in Complaints sig. Iv Sleep; Which..In quiet rest his molten heart did steep. 1635 F. Quarles Emblemes i. vii. 29 Is this a time to steepe Thy braines in wastfull slumbers? 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iv, in tr. Virgil Wks. 130 When once in Beds their weary Limbs they steep, No buzzing Sounds disturb thir Golden Sleep. View more context for this quotation 1827 J. Keble Christian Year I. iii. 6 When the soft dews of kindly sleep My wearied eyelids gently steep. 1832 Ld. Tennyson Lotos-eaters: Choric Song ii, in Poems (new ed.) 112 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.). ΘΠ the world > physical sensation > physical sensibility > physical insensibility > dullness of sense perception > dull (the senses) [verb (transitive)] > stupefy > in something steep1600 1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 (2nd issue) iii. i. 8 Ô sleepe!..thou no more wilt weigh my eye-liddes downe, And steep my sences in forgetfulnesse. 1602 J. Marston Antonios Reuenge i. iii. sig. B2v My sense was steep't in horrid dreames. 1790 W. Cowper On Receipt Mother's Picture 19 Fancy..Shall steep me in Elysian reverie. 1822 C. Lamb Detached Thoughts on Bks. in Elia 2nd Ser. She has snatched an hour..to steep her cares, as in some Lethean cup, in spelling out their enchanting contents. 1856 C. Merivale Hist. Romans under Empire V. l. 534 Messalina..steeped the senses of her consort in brutal indulgences. 1882 B. Harte Flip, & Found at Blazing Star 15 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 passive; often, to be steeped to the lips. ΘΠ the mind > attention and judgement > attention > attracting attention > engage the attention [verb (transitive)] > hold attention, absorb swallowc1330 deepc1380 dare1547 suspend1561 preoccupy1567 devour1568 to swallow up1581 enwrap1589 invest1601 steep1603 to take up1603 spell1646 possess1653 enchain1658 engross1661 absorb1749 fix1752 rivet1762 fascinate1782 spell-bind1808 arrest1814 mesmerize1862 to turn on1903 get1913 consume1999 the world > existence and causation > existence > intrinsicality or inherence > introduction or bringing in > introduce or bring something in [verb (transitive)] > infuse sheda1325 bedew1340 distil1393 informa1398 transfusec1425 pourc1451 infudea1500 infuse1526 tan1530 colour1536 suck1549 imbrue1565 dewc1572 inspire1576 steep1603 infect1605 imbreathe1609 impregn1652 transfund1670 influence1691 bleed1866 render1885 taste1904 1603 T. Dekker et al. Patient Grissill sig. A4 All his words and deedes are like his birth, Steept in true honor. a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) iv. ii. 52 Had he..Steep'd me in pouerty, to the very lips. View more context for this quotation 1663 S. Patrick Parable of Pilgrim (1687) xxvii. 293 He seldom departed from meditation, but..with..his whole heart steeped in new sweetness. 1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. III. ii. viii. 154 Roland, so long steeped to the lips in disgust and chagrin, sends in his demission. 1842 Ld. Tennyson Two Voices in Poems (new ed.) II. 119 Thou art so steep'd in misery. 1849 W. Irving Oliver Goldsmith (rev. ed.) xiv. 155 Langton..was still the..enthusiastic scholar, steeped to the lips in Greek. 1855 C. Dickens Let. 16 Sept. (1993) VII. 704 I am steeped in my story. 1856 C. Kingsley Plays & Puritans in Misc. (1860) II. 130 But Milton had steeped his whole soul in romance. 1868 W. Morris Earthly Paradise i. 304 Until the Golden Age seemed there to be, So steeped the land was in felicity. 1870 T. H. Huxley Lay Serm. (1874) vi. 117 The whole of modern thought is steeped in science. 1882 M. E. Braddon Mt. Royal I. iii. 95 She has been steeped to the lips in worldliness and vanity. 1908 J. O. Dykes Christian Minister xiii. 142 There is a language of devotion in which the minister does well to steep himself. 4. a. intransitive. To undergo the process of soaking in liquor. ΘΠ the world > matter > liquid > condition of being or making wet > action or process of soaking or steeping > be soaked or steeped [verb (intransitive)] soakc1000 fleet1297 steepc1412 swimc1450 soga1552 macerate1612 sug1633 sapple1836 marinate1984 c1412 T. Hoccleve De Regimine Principum 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. c1440 Pallad. on Husb. ii. 281 A day afore her settyng hem [sc. almonds] to stepe In meth is good. 1598 tr. G. de Rosselli Epulario B ij b Lay it to steepe in a little red wine. 1702 C. Beaumont J. Beaumont's Psyche (new ed.) ii. cvii. 21 He having steeping in a box of Jett A blacker Liquor. 1769 E. Raffald Experienced Eng. House-keeper xv. 302 Put one Ounce of Isinglass to steep in Cyder. 1808 W. Scott Marmion i. xxxi. 52 The midnight draught of sleep, Where wine and spices richly steep, In massive bowl. 1809 J. Parkins Culpepper's Eng. Physician Enlarged 383 Then let them all steep ten days in the aquavitæ. 1913 Daily Graphic 24 Mar. 13/4 Basins of water in which salt cod was steeping so that it might be ready for cooking. b. transferred and figurative. Π 1577 J. Grange Golden Aphroditis sig. Eij As one whose browes had Morpheus bound and layde to stiepe ouer head and eares in the snowe of Tygetus. 1600 E. Fairfax tr. T. Tasso Godfrey of Bulloigne xx. cxliii. 392 The campe was wonne, and all in blood doth steepe. 1850 G. Cupples Green Hand vii. 83/1 A huge lake, fringed in by a confused hazy bluish outline steeping in the heat. 1914 Blackwood's Mag. Feb. 231/1 In a loch at Moy the stars were steeping. Compounds C1. Chiefly in the names of vessels used in steeping malt, flesh, etc. (cf. steeping n.1 Compounds 1, Compounds 2). steep cistern n. Π 1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 93 [Malting] More barley is successively emptied into the steep cistern. Π 1483 Cath. Angl. 361/2 A Stepe fatte, ptipsanarium. 1550 in J. W. Clay North Country Wills (1908) I. 210 A stepffat of leyd. Π 1418 in J. T. Fowler Memorials Church SS. Peter & Wilfrid, Ripon (1888) III. 142 Item j stepelede 24s. 1582 in W. Greenwell Wills & Inventories Registry Durham (1860) II. 88 Item in the kilne a lardge and new steapeleade. ΚΠ c1475 Cath. Angl. (Add. MS.) 361/2 A Stepstane or fatt. 1599 Reg. Mag. Sig. Scot. 317/1 Commisit dictis fratribus potestatem horrea, hortos, lie killis, cobillis, steip-stanis, granaria [etc.]. steep tub n. Π 1627 J. Smith Sea Gram. ix. 37 The steepe Tubs in the chains to shift their Beefe, Porke, or Fish in salt water. 1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Steep-tub, a large tub in which salt provisions are soaked previous to being cooked. C2. steep-grass n. = steep-wort n. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > aquatic, marsh, and sea-shore plants > [noun] > butterwort butter-root1597 butterwort1597 Pinguicula1597 Yorkshire sanicle1597 bog violet1713 steep-grass1777 yearning grass1814 steep-wort1886 1777 J. Lightfoot Flora Scotica II. App. 1131 [Pinguicula vulgaris] Steep-grass, Earning-grass. Scotis austral. 1886 J. Britten & R. Holland Dict. Eng. Plant-names Steep-grass, Steep-weed, or Steep-wort, Pinguicula vulgaris, L. steep-skin n. dialect (see quot. 1887). ΚΠ 1887 T. Darlington Folk-speech S. Cheshire Bagskin, the stomach of a calf salted, so as to be used as rennet in cheese-making. Also called Steep-skin. steep-water n. = steep n.1 4. ΘΠ society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > [noun] > liquids intinction1559 liquor1583 steep-water1838 sweet-water1885 process water1927 1838 T. Thomson Chem. Org. Bodies 1012 The steep-water gradually acquires a yellow colour. 1876 Encycl. Brit. IV. 267/2 The steep-water should then be changed. steep-weed n. = steep-wort n. steep-wort n. Pinguicula vulgaris, so called from its property of curdling milk. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > aquatic, marsh, and sea-shore plants > [noun] > butterwort butter-root1597 butterwort1597 Pinguicula1597 Yorkshire sanicle1597 bog violet1713 steep-grass1777 yearning grass1814 steep-wort1886 1886 J. Britten & R. Holland Dict. Eng. Plant-names Steep-grass, Steep-weed, or Steep-wort, Pinguicula vulgaris, L. Derivatives steeped adj. ΘΠ the world > matter > liquid > condition of being or making wet > action or process of soaking or steeping > [adjective] woked1409 confyte1490 infuse1502 soaking1577 steeped1599 yoted?1615 elixed1665 sodden1820 elixated1823 soaked1829 1599 M. Drayton Englands Heroicall Epist. (new ed.) f. 95 v That honey-steeped gall, We oft are sayd to bayte our Loues withall. 1639 T. de Gray Compl. Horseman ii. xxi. 348 Give him one of the steeped Egges. 1648 H. Hexham Groot Woorden-boeck Gerot Vlas, rotten or Steeped Flaxe. 1710 N. Blundell Diary (1895) 83 I Rosted my Steeped Wheat to make Coffy on. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1916; most recently modified version published online March 2022). steepv.2 1. transitive. To place in a sloping position. Now only dialect, to tilt (a cask). Cf. stoop v.1 12. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > inclination > incline [verb (transitive)] > place in a sloping position steep1613 slopea1616 the world > space > relative position > inclination > incline [verb (transitive)] > place in a sloping position > tilt > a vessel hieldc1200 stoopa1670 steep1837 1613 W. Browne Britannia's Pastorals I. i. 20 Then did the God her body forwards steepe, And cast her for a while into a sleepe. 1837 J. F. Palmer Gloss. in M. Palmer Dialogue Devonshire Dial. (at cited word) To Steep, to tilt or give an inclination to a barrel which is nearly run out. 1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. Steep, to stoop; to tilt a cask. 2. To make a slope on the top or side of (a) a hedge; (b) a stack. (See quots.) dialect. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > hedging > make or repair hedge [verb (transitive)] > trim hedge brush1513 brish1636 steep1741 beclip1785 switch1811 skirt1879 pare1884–5 the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > cultivation of plants or crops > storage or preservation of crops > [verb (transitive)] > make into stacks or ricks mowa1325 rick1623 steep1741 to get up1764 (a) (b)1854 A. E. Baker Gloss. Northants. Words II. 295 Steep, to top up or make up a rick.1887 W. D. Parish & W. F. Shaw Dict. Kentish Dial. (at cited word) To steep a stack, is to make the sides smooth and even, and to slope it up to the point of the roof.1741 in Hartland (Devon) Gloss. at Steep Shall not cut shrid lop or steep any hedge or hedges. 1837 J. F. Palmer Gloss. in M. Palmer Dialogue Devonshire Dial. (at cited word) To Steep,..to dress or trim a hedge. 1856 J. C. Morton Cycl. Agric. (new ed.) II. (Gloss.) 724/1 Lade, (Devon.), to lade and steep hedges is to lay them down and bank up with earth. 3. intransitive. Of a cliff: To form a steep; to ‘drop’. Also of the sea: To slope. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > cliff > form cliff [verb (intransitive)] steep1890 the world > the earth > water > flow or flowing > state of sea > have or be in specific kind of motion [verb (intransitive)] > slope steep1890 1890 W. C. Russell Ocean Trag. I. iii. 46 He might just get a glimpse of green shore with a tremble of water..steeping to it. 1911 Nation 16 Dec. 469/2 A huge hammer of mountains eight thousand feet high and steeping sheer into the sea. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1916; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < |
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