Where does “stepmotherless” come from?
stepmotherless (English) comes from English less, from Middle English les, from Old English lēas, from Proto-Germanic *laus.
stepmotherless (English): Without a stepmother
Definitions
- Without a stepmother
Ancestry of “stepmotherless”, step by step
stepmotherless traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English less
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | less | To a smaller extent or degree; comparative form... |
| 2 | Middle English | les | false; lying; deceptive; falsehood; a lie |
| 3 | Old English | lēas | false, lax; false, void, loose; devoid of, loose... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *laus | — |
via English stepmother
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | stepmother | The wife of one's biological father, other than... |
| 2 | Middle English | stepmoder | stepmother wife of one's father |
| 3 | Old English | stēopmōdor | stepmother |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | steupamōdēr | stepmother |