Steppe (German)

Where does "Steppe" come from?

The German noun 'Steppe' entered the language during the 18th century[1]. It was borrowed directly from the Russian word 'степь'[1], meaning 'steppe'.

Open questions

• The ultimate origin of the Russian source word remains unknown. [2]

Full etymology tree

• Steppe (German), 'steppe (grassland)'
  • borrowed степь (stepʹ) (Russian), 'steppe, veldt (the grasslands of Eastern Europe and Asia)'

Ancestors

• степь (Russian)

Descendants and derived words

• Grassteppe (German)
• Steppenbewohner (German)
• Steppenfuchs (German)
• Steppenwaran (German)
• Steppenwolf (German)
• Steppenzebra (German)

Sources

1. Steppe (German) - Wiktionary
2. степь (stepʹ) (Russian) - Wiktionary

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris