Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “stepbairn” come from?

stepbairn (English) comes from Middle English stepbarn, from Old English stēopbearn, from Proto-West Germanic *steupabarn, from Proto-Germanic steupabarną, from Proto-Germanic steupa-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)tewp-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)tew- — to push, to hit.

stepbairn (English): A stepchild

Definitions

  1. A stepchild

Ancestry of “stepbairn”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishstepbarn—
2Old Englishstēopbearnstepchild
3Proto-West Germanic*steupabarn—
4Proto-Germanicsteupabarnąstepchild
5Proto-Germanicsteupa-step-
6Proto-Indo-European(s)tewp-to push, to stick
7Proto-Indo-European(s)tew-to push, to hit
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)tew- →