Steppe
/stɛp/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia.
nounA vast, cold, dry, grassy plain.
Sentence Examples
The leveret runs in the steppe.
The dawn surprised the travelers in the confines of the desert steppe.
The trio parachuted to Earth in the steppe of Kazakhstan.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The vast grassy plain in Russia is called a ____ and has very little rainfall.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Large herds of wild horses used to roam across the vast and grassy ____ of Central Asia long ago.
Word Origin & History
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).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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:
"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:
"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:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The vast grassy plain in Russia is called a ____ and has very little rainfall.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Large herds of wild horses used to roam across the vast and grassy ____ of Central Asia long ago.