Where does “stepsister” come from?
Stepsister derives from step- (denoting a relation by remarriage) plus sister, which comes from Old English sweostor, from Proto-Indo-European swésōr, meaning female sibling.
stepsister (English): The daughter of one's stepparent who is not the...
Definitions
- The daughter of one's stepparent who is not the...
Ancestry of “stepsister”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | step- | A prefix used before "father", "mother",... |
| 2 | Middle English | step- | step- related through the marriage of a parent |
| 3 | Old English | stēop- | deprived of a relative, step- |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | steupa- | step- |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)tewp- | to push, to stick |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)tew- | to push, to hit |