Where does “stepmother” come from?
Stepmother comes from Middle English stepmoder, from Old English stēopmōdor, from Proto-Germanic steupamōdēr, a compound meaning a mother by marriage rather than by birth.
stepmother (English): The wife of one's biological father, other than...
Definitions
- The wife of one's biological father, other than...
Ancestry of “stepmother”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | stepmoder | stepmother wife of one's father |
| 2 | Old English | stēopmōdor | stepmother |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | steupamōdēr | stepmother |