step cut

noun

, Jewelry.

1. a cut consisting of a rectangular girdle, often faceted, with two or more tiers of narrow facets running parallel to the girdle on both the crown and the pavilion: used especially in stones in which color is more important than brilliance.

Other Words From

• step-cut adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of step cut¹

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

Beneath those huts, the excavation team uncovered a step cut into the rock.

From Scientific American

Their fifth stop that year, the mountain—Ispallen, or ice step—cut steeply to the water half a mile below.

From Scientific American

“I knew his hips weren’t that good. He can’t move side to side, especially when his whole body is turned. It’s just a simple one step, cut across his face and get the ball. Whatever happens after happens.”

From Washington Times

This step cut the time required to make deliveries in the tower by 78 percent.

From Salon

The 82-year-old leader’s Palestinian Authority, which runs the West Bank but has only limited sway in Gaza, has slashed salaries for its employees in the seaside territory, withheld permissions for medical patients to leave and, in its most dramatic step, cut payments for the electricity provided to Gaza by Israel.

From Washington Post