Emily Dickinson Lexicon

STE'A-TO-CE-LE, n. [Gr. στεαρ, fat, and κηλη, a tumor.]

A tumor of the scrotum, containing fat. – Cyc.

STE-A-TO'MA, n. [Gr.]

A lupia or wen, i. e. an encysted tumor, containing matter like suet. – Coxe.

STE-A-TO'MA-TOUS, a.

Of the nature of a steatoma. – Hosack.

STED, or STED'FAST, n. [or a. See STEAD.]

STEE, n.

A ladder. [Not in use.]

STEED, n. [Sax. stede. Qu. stud, a stone-horse.]

A horse, or a horse for state or war. [This word is not much used in common discourse. It is used in poetry and descriptive prose, and is elegant.] Stout are our men, and warlike are oar steeds. – Waller.

STEEK-AN, n.

In Holland, a wine measure of about five gallons.

STEEL, a.

Made of steel; as, a steel plate or buckle.

STEEL, n. [Sax. style; D. staal; G. stahl; Dan. staal; Sw. stål; probably from setting, fixing, hardness; G. stellen.]

1. Iron combined with a small but definite portion of carbon. It is called in chimistry, carburet of iron. It is used in making instruments, and particularly useful as the material of edged tools. Dr. Thomas Thomson considers that steel is most probably composed of 20 equivalents of iron, and 1 equivalent of carbon. After relaxing, steel strengthens the solids. – Arbuthnot.
2. Figuratively, weapons; particularly, offensive weapon; swords, spears and the like. Brave Macbeth with his brandish'd steel. – Shak. While doubting thus he stood, / Receiv'd the steel bath'd in his brother's blood. – Dryden.
3. Extreme hardness; as, heads or hearts of steel.

STEEL, v.t.

1. To overlay, point or edge with steel; as, to steel the point of a sword; to steel a razor; to steel an ax.
2. To make hard or extremely hard. God of battles, steel my soldiers' hearts. – Shak. Lies well steel'd with weighty arguments. – Shak.
3. To make hard; to make insensible or obdurate; as, to steel the heart against pity; to steel the mind or heart against reproof or admonition.

STEEL-CLAD, a.

Clad or armed with steel.

STEEL'ED, pp.

Pointed or edged with steel; hardened; made insensible.

STEEL-GIRT', a.

Girded with steel. – Hemans.

STEEL-HEART-ED, a.

Having the heart hard as steel.

STEEL'I-NESS, n. [from steely.]

Great hardness.

STEEL'ING, ppr.

Pointing or edging with steel; hardening; making insensible or unfeeling. – Ch. Relig. Appeal.

STEEL-PLAT-ED, a.

Plated with steel.

STEEL'Y, a.

1. Made of steel; consisting of steel. Broach'd with the steely point of Clifford's lance. – Shak. Around his shop the steely sparkles flew. – Gay.
2. Hard; firm. That she would unarm her noble heart of that steely resistance against the sweet blows of love. – Sidney.

STEEL-YARD, n. [steel and yard.]

The Roman balance; an instrument for weighing bodies, consisting of a rod or bar marked with notches, designating the number of pounds and ounces, and a weight which is movable along this bar, and which is made to balance the weight of the body by being removed at a proper distance from the fulcrum. The principle of the steelyard is that of the lever; where an equilibrium is produced, when the products of the weights on opposite sides into their respective distances from the fulcrum, are equal to one another. Hence, a less weight is made to indicate a greater, by being removed to a greater distance from the fulcrum.

STEEN, or STEAN, n.

A vessel of clay or stone. [Not in use.]

STEEN-KIRK, n.

A cant term for a neckcloth. [Not now in use.]

STEEP, a. [Sax. steap; allied to stoop and dip.]

Making a large angle with the plane of the horizon; ascending or descending with great inclination; precipitous; as, a steep hill or mountain; a steep roof; a steep ascent, a steep declivity.

STEEP, n.¹

A precipitous place, hill, mountain, rock or ascent; any elevated object which slopes with a large angle to the plane of the horizon; a precipice. We had on each side rocks and mountains broken into a thousand irregular steeps and precipices. – Addison.

STEEP, n.²

A liquid for steeping grain or seeds; also, a runnet bag. [Local.]

STEEP, v.t. [probably formed on the root of dip.]

To soak in a liquid; to macerate; to imbue; to keep any thing in a liquid till it has thoroughly imbibed it, or till the liquor has extracted the essential qualities of the substance. Thus cloth is steeped in lye or other liquid in bleaching or dyeing. But plants and drugs are steeped in water, wine and the like, for the purpose of tincturing the liquid with their qualities.