STEEPINESS Meaning and
Definition
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Steepiness is a noun that refers to the quality or characteristic of something being steep. It describes the degree of inclination, incline, or gradient of an object or terrain.
When an object or surface is steep, it means that it has a high angle of inclination or slope, presenting a sharp rise or descent in the vertical direction. Steepiness can be used to describe various natural or man-made features, such as mountains, hills, cliffs, valleys, stairs, or roads.
In a literal sense, steepiness measures the steepness of an object by considering the ratio between its vertical height and horizontal distance. The steeper something is, the greater the vertical elevation compared to the horizontal span.
Steepiness is often used to convey the difficulty or challenge associated with traversing or climbing something with a pronounced uphill or downhill incline. It can also indicate the sense of danger or risk involved due to the abruptness of the slope.
Additionally, steepiness can be employed metaphorically to describe abstract qualities or situations. For instance, one may refer to a learning curve as having steepiness, suggesting that it involves a sudden or significant increase in difficulty or complexity.
Overall, steepiness emphasizes the steepness or sharpness of inclination in a physical or figurative context, helping to characterize and understand the level of challenge, danger, or intensity associated with it.
Common Misspellings for STEEPINESS
- steepnes
- steepenes
- ateepiness
- zteepiness
- xteepiness
- dteepiness
- eteepiness
- wteepiness
- sfeepiness
- sgeepiness
- syeepiness
- s6eepiness
- s5eepiness
- stwepiness
- stsepiness
- stdepiness
- strepiness
- st4epiness
- st3epiness
- stewpiness
Etymology of STEEPINESS
The word "steepiness" is formed from the adjective "steep" and the suffix "-iness".
The adjective "steep" originated in the early 14th century and was derived from the Old English word "steap", meaning "high, lofty". It is said to be related to the Old Norse word "staup", which means "very high rock" or "steep mountain".
The suffix "-iness", which is used to form abstract nouns indicating a quality or state, comes from Middle English and ultimately traces back to the Old English "-nes". It was later influenced by the Old French "-nesse" and Latin "-itia" and "-tudo".
By combining "steep" and "-iness", the word "steepiness" was created to describe the quality or state of being steep.
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