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steeple

[ stee-puhl ]
/ ˈsti pəl /
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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.
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Origin of steeple

before 1000; Middle English stepel steeple, tower, Old English stēpel tower. See steep1, -le

OTHER WORDS FROM steeple

steepled, adjectivestee·ple·less, adjectivestee·ple·like, adjectiveun·stee·pled, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH steeple

spire, steeple
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use steeple in a sentence

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 forms of steeple

steepled, 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
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