steeple
[ stee-puh l ]
/ ˈsti pəl /
noun
an ornamental construction, usually ending in a spire, erected on a roof or tower of a church, public building, etc.
a tower terminating in such a construction.
(loosely) a spire.
verb (used with object), stee·pled, stee·pling.
to provide with or form into a steeple or steeplelike configuration.
Nearby words
Origin of steeple
Related formsstee·pled, adjectivestee·ple·less, adjectivestee·ple·like, adjectiveun·stee·pled, adjective
Can be confusedspire steeple
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for steeple
British Dictionary definitions for steeple
steeple
/ (ˈstiːpəl) /
noun
a tall ornamental tower that forms the superstructure of a church, temple, etc
such a tower with the spire above it
any spire or pointed structure
Derived Formssteepled, adjective
Word Origin for steeple
Old English stēpel; see steep 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for steeple
steeple
Old English stepel (Mercian), stiepel (West Saxon) "high tower" (related to steap "high, lofty"), from Proto-Germanic *staupilaz (see steep (adj.)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper