- an upright stone slab or column decorated with figures or inscriptions, common in prehistoric times
- a prepared vertical surface that has a commemorative inscription or design, esp one on the face of a building
- the conducting tissue of the stems and roots of plants, which is in the form of a cylinder, principally containing xylem, phloem, and pericycle
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
ste•le
(stē′lē, stēl for 1–3; stēl, stē′lē for 4),USA pronunciation n., pl. ste•lai (stē′lī),USA pronunciation ste•les
ste•lar
(stē′lər),USA pronunciation adj.
-
(stē′lēz, stēlz).USA pronunciation
- an upright stone slab or pillar bearing an inscription or design and serving as a monument, marker, or the like.
- Architecturea prepared surface on the face of a building, a rock, etc., bearing an inscription or the like.
- Antiquity(in ancient Rome) a burial stone.
- Botanythe central cylinder or cylinders of vascular and related tissue in the stem, root, petiole, leaf, etc., of the higher plants.
- Greek sté̄lē, akin to histánai to make stand, Latin stāre to stand
- 1810–20;
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
stele /ˈstiːlɪ; stiːl/ n ( pl stelae /ˈstiːliː/, steles /ˈstiːlɪz; stiːlz/)
'stele' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
polycyclic
- central cylinder
- cippus
- eustele
- Mesha Stele
- Moabite Stone
- pericycle
- protostele
- siphonostele
- steel
- stela
- Susa