STEP

step

1. the act of motion brought about by raising the foot and setting it down again in coordination with the transference of the weight of the body

2. a sequence of foot movements that make up a particular dance or part of a dance

3. any of several paces or rhythmic movements in marching, dancing, etc.

4. a flight of stairs, esp out of doors

5. Music a melodic interval of a second

6. a strong block or frame bolted onto the keel of a vessel and fitted to receive the base of a mast

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Step

a. a set of aerobic exercises designed to improve the cardiovascular system, which consists of stepping on and off a special box of adjustable height

b. (as modifier): Step aerobics

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

STEP

Abbrev. for Solar/Terrestrial Energy Programme.

Collins Dictionary of Astronomy © Market House Books Ltd, 2006

Step

A stair unit that consists of one tread, the horizontal upper surface, and one riser, the vertical face.

bull-nosed step

A step, usually the lowest in a flight, having one or both ends rounded to a semicircle and projecting beyond the face of the stair string. The projection extends beyond and around the newel post.

cantilever step

A step built into the wall at one end, but supported at the other end only by the steps below.

curtail step

A step, usually the lowest in the flight, of which one or both ends are rounded into a spiral or scroll shape which projects beyond the newel.

riser

The vertical face of a stair step.

tread

The horizontal upper surface of a step; includes the rounded edge or nosing which extends over the riser.

Illustrated Dictionary of Architecture Copyright © 2012, 2002, 1998 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved

step

[step]

(computer science)

A single computer instruction or operation.

(engineering)

A small offset on a piece of core or in a drill hole resulting from a sudden sidewise deviation of the bit as it enters a hard, tilted stratum or rock underlying a softer rock.

(geology)

A hitch or dislocation of the strata.

(mining engineering)

The portion of a longwall face at right angles to the line of the face formed when a place is worked in front of or behind an adjoining place.

(organic chemistry)

elementary reaction

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

step

A stair unit which consists of one tread and one riser.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

STEP

Standard for the exchange of product model data

This article is provided by FOLDOC - Free Online Dictionary of Computing (foldoc.org)

STEP

(STandard for the Exchange of Product Model Data) An ISO standard for product modeling. It is designed to provide a vendor-neutral and computer readable definition of a product throughout its life cycle. See PDES and IGES.

Copyright © 1981-2025 by The Computer Language Company Inc. All Rights reserved. THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Step

 

a break on the bottom of a high-speed boat; when the boat is in motion, the step creates a lifting force that causes the boat to rise and glide over the water’s surface. When a boat is hydroplaning over calm water, that is, when it has risen onto its step, less of its bottom is in contact with the water and, as a result, the water offers less resistance to the vessel’s motion. There may be one or more steps on the bottom of a hydroplane, cutter, scooter, or the float of a seaplane. The shape of the step (flat, flat-keeled) determines the vessel’s seaworthiness and speed.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.