Wiktionary

steppe

See also: Steppe

English edit

Etymology edit

From German Steppe or French steppe, in turn from Russian степь (stepʹ, “flat grassy plain”) or Ukrainian степ (step). There is no generally accepted earlier etymology, but there is a speculative Old East Slavic reconstruction *сътепь (sŭtepĭ, “trampled place, flat, bare”), related to топот (topot), топтать (toptatĭ).

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

steppe (countable and uncountable, plural steppes)

  1. The grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia. Similar to (North American) prairie and (African) savanna. [from 1671]
    • 1831, Thomas Carlyle, “Preliminary”, in Sartor Resartus: The Life and Opinions of Herr Teufelsdröckh. […], London: Chapman and Hall, […], →OCLC, book first, page 3:
      Nevertheless be it remarked, that even a Russian steppe has tumuli and gold ornaments […]
    • 1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 187:
      Enkidu was the hairy man of the wild steppes, and Gilgamesh was the hero of civilization; but now the contrast is between Gilgamesh, the king, the man of political power, the heroic man of action, the extrovert, and Utnapishtim, the man of religious authority, the introvert, the sage.
  2. A vast, cold, dry grass-plain.
    • 2000, Mary Elizabeth v. N., “Steppe”, in Blue Planet Biomes‎[1], West Tisbury Elementary School:
      Grasslands: The Steppe biome is a dry, cold, grassland that is found in all of the continents except Australia and Antarctica. It is mostly found in the USA, Mongolia, Siberia, Tibet and China. There isn't much humidity in the air because Steppe is located away from the ocean and close to mountain barriers.

Usage notes edit

Although it may be the steppe biome, one would not normally speak of the steppes of Canada, whereas one would speak of the steppes of Asia or the steppes of Russia.

Derived terms edit

Translations edit

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

See also edit

References edit

  • Melnychuk, O. S., editor (1982–2012), “степ”, in Етимологічний словник української мови [Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka

Further reading edit

Anagrams edit

Danish edit

 
Danish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia da

Noun edit

steppe c (definite singular steppen, indefinite plural stepper, definite plural stepperne)

  1. steppe (large treeless grass plain)

Dutch edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from German Steppe or French steppe, from Russian степь (stepʹ, “flat grassy plain”).

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

steppe f (plural steppes, diminutive steppetje n)

  1. steppe

Derived terms edit

French edit

Etymology edit

From Russian степь (stepʹ).

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

steppe f (plural steppes)

  1. steppe

Derived terms edit

Descendants edit

  • → Italian: steppa
  • → Romanian: stepă
  • → Turkish: step

Further reading edit

German edit

Pronunciation edit

Verb edit

steppe

  1. inflection of steppen:
    1. first-person singular present
    2. first/third-person singular subjunctive I
    3. singular imperative

Italian edit

Noun edit

steppe f

  1. plural of steppa

Middle English edit

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

From Old English stæpe, stepe, from Proto-West Germanic *stapi. The (historical) geminate is due to the influence of steppen.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /ˈstɛp(ə)/, /ˈstɛːp(ə)/, /ˈstap(ə)/, /ˈstaːp(ə)/

Noun edit

steppe (plural steppes)

  1. A step, pace (movement of the foot)
  2. A step or stair; an individual landing of a set of stairs.
  3. An imprint or sign of something; that which something leaves as evidence:
    1. The imprint left by a step; a footprint or track.
    2. The imprint left by a thing, person or phenomenon (extant or former)
    3. (figurative) The remains left by an injury or disease.
  4. The bottom region of the foot; the sole.
  5. A phase, step or tier as part of a scale or process.
  6. (figurative) A move, action or direction (towards an objective).
  7. (rare) The length covered by a step (as a unit of length, ~2.5 feet)
  8. (rare) The ground; a foothold or stepping-place.
  9. (rare) A group or a thing that is part of it.

Descendants edit

References edit

Norwegian Bokmål edit

 
Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia no

Noun edit

steppe m (definite singular steppen, indefinite plural stepper, definite plural steppene)

  1. steppe (large treeless grass plain)

Norwegian Nynorsk edit

 
Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nn

Noun edit

steppe f (definite singular steppa, indefinite plural stepper, definite plural steppene)

  1. steppe (large treeless grass plain)
Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=steppe&oldid=79137376"