Steeps

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. To soak something thoroughly in a liquid to extract flavors or soften it ; to have a sharp or abrupt incline or slope
2. To immerse an object or substance in a liquid for a period to absorb moisture or flavor ; to ascend or be positioned at a steep angle
3. To leave a material submerged in liquid to achieve saturation or extraction ; to be characterized by a sudden, steep rise in height or degree

Etymology: The verb "steep" is a word with two unrelated ancestors that happened to land on the same spelling. The adjective-and-noun sense, "high, sloping sharply," comes from Old English "stēap," meaning "high," which traces back to a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to push" or "to stick." Its sense of a steep slope was attested around 1200, and the word's relatives meant things like "towering cliff" in German and "proud" in Dutch. Its later sense of "expensive," meaning a steep price, is attested only in American usage from 1856. The verb "to soak," as in steeping tea or leather, has a different origin. It comes from Middle English "stepen," borrowed from Old Norse "steypa," meaning "to make stoop, cast down, pour out, or cast metal." The Norse word is related to modern Scandinavian verbs for casting metal, such as Swedish "stöpa," and to the English "stoop." Because the two sources merged in spelling, a single English word now covers a mountainside and a teabag. The verbs and the adjective share no meaning, only a spelling that arrived by two separate routes.

Synonyms: inclines, slopes