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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

steeple en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ˈsti(ː)pəl/ (Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
  • [ˈsti(ː)pɫ̩] (Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle English stepel, from Old English stīpel, stȳpel, stīepel (“tower, steeple”), from Proto-West Germanic *staupil, from Proto-Germanic *staupilaz (“that which is steep, tower, steeple”), equivalent to steep + -le. Cognate with Old Norse stǫpull (“tower, steeple”).

Meanings

  1. A tall tower, often on a church, normally topped with a spire.
    • So, the woman and the child had gone by, and gone on, and five had sounded from the steeples. 1855 December – 1857 June, Charles Dickens, “Little Dorrit’s Party”, in Little Dorrit, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1857, →OCLC, 1st book (Poverty), pages 126–127:
    • Above the session-room of the Council is the steeple, and in the steeple is the belfry, where exists, and has existed time out of mind, the pride and wonder of the village—the great clock of the borough of Vondervotteimittiss. 1839, Edgar Allan Poe, The Devil in the Belfry:
  2. A spire.
  3. (historical) A high headdress of the 14th century.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
steeples Number=Plur lexicographic
steple alternative, obsolete lexicographic

Deriveds

steepleless · steeple cab · steeplechase · Ainderby Steeple · steeplechasing · Sturton le Steeple · rood-steeple · Steeple Langford · Steeple Mountain · Steeple Bumpstead · steeple hat · steeple keeper · Steeple Claydon · steeple-fingered · steeple engine · steeplehouse · Steeple Aston · steeplebush · steeplelike · Steeple Morden · steeplejack · Steeple Flat · unsteeple

Translations (35)

hu templomtorony (a tall tower, often on a church) · ro turlă (a tall tower, often on a church) · ast campanil (a tall tower, often on a church) · es campanil (a tall tower, often on a church) · sh zvonik (a tall tower, often on a church) · eo preĝejturo (a tall tower, often on a church) · rm clutger (a tall tower, often on a church) · ja 尖塔 (a tall tower, often on a church) · ast campanariu (a tall tower, often on a church) · fr clocher (a tall tower, often on a church) · ca campanar (a tall tower, often on a church) · pt campanário (a tall tower, often on a church) · br kloc'hdi (a tall tower, often on a church) · fi kellotapuli (a tall tower, often on a church) · hu torony (a tall tower, often on a church) · ro clopotniță (a tall tower, often on a church) · es campanario (a tall tower, often on a church) · es espadaña (a tall tower, often on a church) · ru колоко́льня (a tall tower, often on a church) · fi kirkontorni (a tall tower, often on a church) · eu orratz (a tall tower, often on a church) · pt torre sineira (a tall tower, often on a church) · cs špička věže (a tall tower, often on a church) · uk дзвіни́ця (a tall tower, often on a church) · mi koeko (a tall tower, often on a church) · de Kirchturm (a tall tower, often on a church) · is kirkjuturn (a tall tower, often on a church) · ga spuaic (a tall tower, often on a church) · cs kostelní věž (a tall tower, often on a church) · pl dzwonnica (a tall tower, often on a church) · nl kerktoren (a tall tower, often on a church) · it campanile (a tall tower, often on a church) · sh звоник (a tall tower, often on a church) · rm clucher (a tall tower, often on a church) · sv kyrktorn (a tall tower, often on a church)

steeple en · VERB

Pronunciation

  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ˈsti(ː)pəl/ (Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
  • [ˈsti(ː)pɫ̩] (Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle English stepel, from Old English stīpel, stȳpel, stīepel (“tower, steeple”), from Proto-West Germanic *staupil, from Proto-Germanic *staupilaz (“that which is steep, tower, steeple”), equivalent to steep + -le. Cognate with Old Norse stǫpull (“tower, steeple”).

Meanings

  1. (transitive) To form something into the shape of a steeple.
    • He steepled his fingers as he considered the question.
    • Mr Hatfield steepled his fingers and gazed at her fixedly and took a long contemplative breath. 1992, James Herriot, Every Living Thing, →ISBN:
    • Mr. Ziegler is now angled forward with his elbows on his knees and his fingers steepled just under his nose. 2005, David Foster Wallace, Consider the Lobster and Other Essays, New York: Little, Brown and Company, →ISBN, page 341:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
steple alternative, obsolete lexicographic
steepling Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
steeples Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
steepled Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
steepled Tense=Past lexicographic

Deriveds

steepled