stele
[ stee-lee, steel for 1–3; steel, stee-lee for 4 ]
/ ˈsti li, stil for 1–3; stil, ˈsti li for 4 /
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.
Nearby words
steinman, steinmetz, steinway, stela, stelazine, stele, stell, stella, stella polaris, stellar, stellar association
Also stela (for defs 1–3).
Origin of stele
Related forms
ste·lar [stee-ler] /ˈsti lər/, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for stele
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
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
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Science 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
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