steppe

[step]

noun

1. an extensive plain, especially one without trees.

2. The Steppes,

   1. Also called Great Steppe. Also called Eurasian Steppe,. the vast grasslands stretching from Asia to Eastern Europe, bounded on the north by European and Asian Russia and Siberia.

   2. Kirghiz Steppe.

steppe

/ stɛp /

noun

1. (often plural) an extensive grassy plain usually without trees Compare prairie pampas

steppe

1. A vast, semiarid grassland, as found in southeast Europe, Siberia, and central North America.

Word History and Origins

Origin of steppe¹

First recorded in 1665–75; from Russian step' or Ukrainian step; further origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of steppe¹

C17: from Old Russian step lowland

Example Sentences

Federal officials designated the Montgomery Pass Wild Horse Territory, a remote area spanning sagebrush steppe and pinyon pine forest east of Mono Lake.

From Los Angeles Times

"That's a solid commitment from the person. Imagine sitting on the ground in the steppe where there's wind blowing all that time," he suggests.

From BBC

"In the frozen trenches of Donetsk region and in the burning steppes of Kherson region under shells, hail, and anti-aircraft guns - we are fighting for the right to life."

From BBC

But, “To our surprise, two individuals in the tomb had steppe ancestry”—the adult man and one of the children, a boy—Geigl explains.

From Science Magazine

Thousands of foreign forces in air-conditioned vehicles trundled through the Sahelian steppe, trying to take out terrorist leaders.

From New York Times

Related Words

• grassland 
• prairie 
• savanna