steep

steep · adjective, noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European*(s)tew-
2. Proto-Indo-European*(s)tewp-der.?
3. Proto-Germanic*staupaz
4. Proto-West Germanic*staup
5. Old Englishstēap
6. Middle Englishsteep
7. English todaysteep

From Middle English steep, from Old English stēap (“high”), from Proto-Germanic *staupaz, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewp- (“to push, stick”). Compare Old Frisian stāp ("high, towering"; > Modern Saterland Frisian stiep (“steep”)), Dutch stoop (“grand; proud”), Middle High German stouf (“towering cliff, precipice”), Middle High German stief (“steep”)). The Proto-Indo-European root (and related) has many and varied descendants, including English stub; compare also Scots stap (“to strike, to forcibly insert”). The sense of “sharp slope” is attested circa 1200; the sense “expensive” is attested US 1856.

steep · verb, noun²

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*(s)tewb-“to push, hit”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*staupijaną“to tumble, make tumble, plunge”
3. Old Norse · derived fromsteypa“to make stoop, cast down, pour out, cast (metal)”
4. Middle English · inherited fromstepen
5. English todaysteep

From Middle English stepen, from Old Norse steypa (“to make stoop, cast down, pour out, cast (metal)”), from Proto-Germanic *staupijaną (“to tumble, make tumble, plunge”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewb- (“to push, hit”). Cognate with Danish støbe (“cast (metal)”), Norwegian støpe, støype, Swedish stöpa (“to found, cast (metal)”), Old English stūpian (“to stoop, bend the back, slope”). Related to stoop.

Words from the same roots