means The set of flat surfaces arranged in ascending or descending order that let you climb or descend between levels, or by extension the individual actions you take toward a goal.

from From Old English 'stæpe' or 'stepe,' meaning a stair or a single footfall, rooted in the verb 'steppan' — to step or tread. It's a close cousin of Dutch 'stap' and German 'Stapfe,' all tracing back to a Germanic word for pressing the foot down. The leap from literal footsteps to the figurative 'steps toward success' is an old and natural one: every journey, after all, is measured one tread at a time.