Steep vs Decline - What's the difference?
steep | decline |
Of a near-vertical gradient; of a slope, surface, curve, etc. that proceeds upward at an angle near vertical.
(informal) expensive
(obsolete) Difficult to access; not easy reached; lofty; elevated; high.
(of the rake of a ship's mast, or a car's windshield) resulting in a mast or windshield angle that strongly diverges from the perpendicular
(ambitransitive) To soak an item (or to be soaked) in liquid in order to gradually add or remove components to or from the item
* Wordsworth
To imbue with something.
* Earle
A liquid used in a steeping process
A rennet bag.
Downward movement, fall.(rfex)
A sloping downward, e.g. of a hill or road.(rfex)
(senseid)A weakening.(rfex)
* {{quote-magazine, date=2012-01
, author=Philip E. Mirowski
, title=Harms to Health from the Pursuit of Profits
, volume=100, issue=1, page=87
, magazine=
A reduction or diminution of activity.
*
To move downwards, to fall, to drop.
To become weaker or worse.
To bend downward; to bring down; to depress; to cause to bend, or fall.
* Thomson
* Spenser
To cause to decrease or diminish.
* Beaumont and Fletcher
* Burton
To turn or bend aside; to deviate; to stray; to withdraw.
* Bible, Psalms cxix. 157
To refuse, forbear.
* Massinger
* , chapter=7
, title= To inflect for case, number and sometimes gender.
* Ascham
(by extension) To run through from first to last; to repeat like a schoolboy declining a noun.
(American football) To reject a penalty against the opposing team, usually because the result of accepting it would benefit the non-penalized team less than the preceding play.
As adjectives the difference between steep and decline
is that steep is of a near-vertical gradient; of a slope, surface, curve, etc that proceeds upward at an angle near vertical while decline is declined.As verbs the difference between steep and decline
is that steep is (ambitransitive) to soak an item (or to be soaked) in liquid in order to gradually add or remove components to or from the item while decline is .As a noun steep
is a liquid used in a steeping process.steep
English
Etymology 1
(etyl) . The sense of “sharp slope” is attested circa 1200; the sense “expensive” is attested US 1856.Adjective
(er)- a steep''' hill or mountain; a '''steep''' roof; a '''steep''' ascent; a '''steep barometric gradient
- Twenty quid for a shave? That's a bit steep .
- (Chapman)
- The steep rake of the windshield enhances the fast lines of the exterior. [http://www.utsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070303/news_lz1dd3maynard.html]
Synonyms
* brantEtymology 2
From (etyl) stepen, from (etyl) . More at (l).Verb
(en verb)- They steep skins in a tanning solution to create leather.
- The tea is steeping .
- In refreshing dew to steep / The little, trembling flowers.
- The learned of the nation were steeped in Latin.
- a town steeped in history
Derived terms
* (l)Noun
- Corn steep has many industrial uses.
References
decline
English
Noun
(en noun)citation, passage=In an era when political leaders promise deliverance from decline through America’s purported preeminence in scientific research, the news that science is in deep trouble in the United States has been as unwelcome as a diagnosis of leukemia following the loss of health insurance.}}
- It is also pertinent to note that the current obvious decline in work on holarctic hepatics most surely reflects a current obsession with cataloging and with nomenclature of the organisms—as divorced from their study as living entities.
Antonyms
* inclineVerb
(declin)- in melancholy deep, with head declined
- And now fair Phoebus gan decline in haste / His weary wagon to the western vale.
- You have declined his means.
- He knoweth his error, but will not seek to decline it.
- a line that declines from straightness
- conduct that declines from sound morals
- Yet do I not decline from thy testimonies.
- Could I decline this dreadful hour?
The Mirror and the Lamp, passage=“[…] This is Mr. Churchill, who, as you are aware, is good enough to come to us for his diaconate, and, as we hope, for much longer; and being a gentleman of independent means, he declines to take any payment.” Saying this Walden rubbed his hands together and smiled contentedly.}}
- after the first declining of a noun and a verb
- (Shakespeare)
- The team chose to decline the fifteen-yard penalty because their receiver had caught the ball for a thirty-yard gain.