Steep (stēp), a. Bright;
glittering; fiery. [Obs.]
His eyen steep, and rolling in his
head.
Chaucer.Steep, v. i. To undergo the process
of soaking in a liquid; as, the tea is steeping.
[Colloq.]
Steep, n. 1.
Something steeped, or used in steeping; a fertilizing liquid to
hasten the germination of seeds.
2. A rennet bag. [Prov. Eng.]
Steep, a. [Comper.
Steeper (?); superl. Steepest.] [OE.
steep, step, AS. steÁp; akin to Icel.
steyp?r steep, and stūpa to stoop, Sw.
stupa to fall, to tilt; cf. OFries. stap high. Cf.
Stoop, v. i., Steep, v.
t., Steeple.] 1. Making a large
angle with the plane of the horizon; ascending or descending rapidly
with respect to a horizontal line or a level; precipitous; as, a
steep hill or mountain; a steep roof; a steep
ascent; a steep declivity; a steep barometric
gradient.
2. Difficult of access; not easy reached;
lofty; elevated; high. [Obs.] Chapman.
3. Excessive; as, a steep price.
[Slang]
Steep, v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Steeped (stēpt); p. pr. & vb.
n. Steeping.] [OE. stepen, probably fr. Icel.
steypa to cause to stoop, cast down, pour out, to cast metals,
causative of stūpa to stoop; cf. Sw. stöpa to
cast, to steep, Dan. stöbe, D. & G. stippen to
steep, to dip. Cf. Stoop, v. t.] To
soak in a liquid; to macerate; to extract the essence of by soaking;
as, to soften seed by steeping it in water. Often used
figuratively.
Let fancy still my sense in Lethe
steep.
Shak.
In refreshing dew to steep
The little, trembling flowers.
Wordsworth.
The learned of the nation were steeped in
Latin.
Earle.Steep, n. A precipitous place,
hill, mountain, rock, or ascent; any elevated object sloping with a
large angle to the plane of the horizon; a precipice.
Dryden.
We had on each side naked rocks and mountains broken
into a thousand irregular steeps and precipices.
Addison.
Bare steeps, where desolation
stalks.
Wordsworth.