stepmeal
One step at a time; step by step; gradually; by degrees.
uncommon
He who would see it with his mind's eye must begin by very little, and then by little and little climb nigher and nigher, and stepmeal, as if he were climbing on a ladder, and would be up on some sea'cliff; […]
Where it comes from
From Middle English *stepmele, *stapmele, from Old English stæpmǣlum (“step by step; gradually, by degrees”), equivalent to step + -meal.
Adapted from the Wiktionary entry stepmeal (CC BY-SA 4.0).