This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
stele
[ stee-lee, steel for 1-3; steel, stee-lee for 4 ]
/ ˈsti li, stil for 1-3; stil, ˈsti li for 4 /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun, plural ste·lai [stee-lahy], /ˈsti laɪ/, ste·les [stee-leez, steelz]. /ˈsti liz, stilz/.
an upright stone slab or pillar bearing an inscription or design and serving as a monument, marker, or the like.
Architecture. a prepared surface on the face of a building, a rock, etc., bearing an inscription or the like.
(in ancient Rome) a burial stone.
Botany. the central cylinder or cylinders of vascular and related tissue in the stem, root, petiole, leaf, etc., of the higher plants.
QUIZ
WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?
Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!
Question 1 of 7
Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.
Also ste·la [stee-luh] /ˈsti lə/ (for defs. 1-3).
Origin of stele
First recorded in 1810–20; from Greek stḗlē, akin to histánai “to make stand,” Latin stāre “to stand”; see stand
OTHER WORDS FROM stele
ste·lar [stee-ler], /ˈsti lər/, adjectiveWords nearby stele
Steinman, Steinmetz, Steinway, stela, Stelazine, stele, St. Elias, Mount, St. Elias Mountains, stell, stella, Stella Polaris
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use stele in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for stele
stele
/ (ˈstiːlɪ, stiːl) /
noun plural stelae (ˈstiːliː) or steles (ˈstiːlɪz, stiːlz)
an upright stone slab or column decorated with figures or inscriptions, common in prehistoric times
a prepared vertical surface that has a commemorative inscription or design, esp one on the face of a building
the conducting tissue of the stems and roots of plants, which is in the form of a cylinder, principally containing xylem, phloem, and pericycleSee also protostele, siphonostele
Also called (for senses 1, 2): stela (ˈstiːlə)
Derived forms of stele
stelar (ˈstiːlə), adjectiveWord Origin for stele
C19: from Greek stēlē; related to Greek histanai to stand, Latin stāre
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
Scientific definitions for stele
stele
[ stēl, stē′lē ]
The central core of primary vascular tissues in the stem or root of a vascular plant, consisting of xylem and phloem together with pith.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.