steppe

[step]

noun

an extensive plain, especially one without trees.
The Steppes,
1. the vast grasslands, especially those in the S and E European and W and SW Asian parts of Russia.
2. Kirghiz Steppe.

Origin of steppe

1665–75; < Russian step' or Ukrainian step; ulterior origin uncertain

Can be confusedstep steppe

Kirghiz Steppe

noun

a steppe in Kazakhstan.

Also called The Steppes.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for steppes

grassland, prairie, savanna, plain

Examples from the Web for steppes

Historical Examples of steppes

I have tried Tibet, China, and the steppes of Siberia—with the same result.
David and the Phoenix
Edward Ormondroyd
They are also found on the steppes bordering the Caspian and Aral Seas.
Quadrupeds, What They Are and Where Found
Mayne Reid
Suddenly all came to life; the forests, the pools, the steppes.
High Noon
Anonymous
It was a north-easter, laden with dust, and a sense of frozen Siberian steppes.
Robert Falconer
George MacDonald
Rather than give these up some of them would have sold half the steppes.
Historic Tales, Vol. 8 (of 15)
Charles Morris

British Dictionary definitions for steppes

Steppes

pl n the Steppes

the huge grasslands of Eurasia, chiefly in Ukraine and Russia
another name for Kyrgyz Steppe

Kirghiz Steppe

noun

a variant spelling of Kyrgyz Steppe

steppe

noun

(often plural) an extensive grassy plain usually without treesCompare prairie, pampas

Word Origin for steppe

C17: from Old Russian step lowland

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 steppes