Dictionary

steppe en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /stɛp/ (UK, US)

Etymology

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).

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) The grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia.
   • 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. 1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 187:
   • Nevertheless be it remarked, that even a Russian steppe has tumuli and gold ornaments […] 1831, Thomas Carlyle, “Preliminary”, in Sartor Resartus: The Life and Opinions of Herr Teufelsdröckh. […], London: Chapman and Hall, […], →OCLC, 1st book, page 3:
2. (countable, uncountable) A vast, cold, dry, grassy plain.
   • 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. 2000, Mary Elizabeth v. N., “Steppe”, in Blue Planet Biomes, West Tisbury Elementary School:

Forms

Coordinates

pampas · plain · savanna · prairie · veld

Deriveds

steppe-tundra · steppe mammoth · steppe bison · steppe vole · steppe wisent · steppe-witch · steppification · steppe fox · forest steppe · steppe lion · steppeland · steppe lemming · steppelike · mammoth steppe · steppic · steppe eagle · steppe cat · steppe murrain · shrubsteppe

Translations (87)

fr steppe (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · uum чӧль (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · mn тал (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · ka ველი (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · tr kır (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · tr kır (vast cold, dry grass-plains) · akk 𒂔𒈾 () (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · is steppa (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · mn хээр тал (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · sh stȅpa (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · da steppe (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · is gresja (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · pt estepe (vast cold, dry grass-plains) · ota قیر (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · ca estepa (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · cmn 乾草原 /干草原 (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · tr bozkır (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · ro stepă (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · eo stepo (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · ja 草原 (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · ko 스텝 (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · ky чөл (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · tr bozkır (vast cold, dry grass-plains) · lt stèpė (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · ar سْتِيب (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · ba дала (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · mk степа (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · akk 𒂔 () (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · hi स्तपी (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · tr step (vast cold, dry grass-plains) · sh stȅpa (vast cold, dry grass-plains) · uz dasht (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · ar مَرْعَى (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · no steppe (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · ky талаа (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · ru степь (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · hu sztyepp (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · pl step (vast cold, dry grass-plains) · ru степь (vast cold, dry grass-plains) · tt дала (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · az çöl (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · tyv хову (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · tr step (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · cy gwaun (vast cold, dry grass-plains) · sh сте̏па (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · uk степ (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · bg степ (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · hy տափաստան (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · alt чӧл (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · el στέπα (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · sv stäpp (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · uz choʻl (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · vi thảo nguyên (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · ug دەشت (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · hu sztyeppe (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · sk step (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · sv stäpp (vast cold, dry grass-plains) · cs step (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · ar سْتِيب (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · sux 𒂔 (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · fa استپ (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · tk sähra (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · mn тал нутаг (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · oc estèpa (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · cy gweundir (vast cold, dry grass-plains) · no steppe (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · fi aro (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · ja 草原 (vast cold, dry grass-plains) · mk степа (vast cold, dry grass-plains) · cy stepdir (vast cold, dry grass-plains) · es estepa (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · be стэп (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · ja ステップ (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · sl stepa (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · pl step (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · de Steppe (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · hy տափաստան (vast cold, dry grass-plains) · kk сахара (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · mn хээр (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · de Steppe (vast cold, dry grass-plains) · crh çöl (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · pt estepe (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · kk дала (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · cmn 草原 (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · it steppa (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · gl estepa (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia) · cy paith (vast cold, dry grass-plains)