Where does “Stiefmütterchen” come from?

Stiefmütterchen (German) comes from German Stiefmütter, from German stief-, from Middle High German stief-, from Old High German stiof-, from Proto-Germanic steupa-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)tewp-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)tew- — to push, to hit.

Stiefmütterchen (German): Diminutive of Stiefmutter; pansy

Definitions

  1. Diminutive of Stiefmutter; pansy

Ancestry of “Stiefmütterchen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanStiefmütterplural of Stiefmutter
2Germanstief-step-; a prefix indicating the individual being...
3Middle High Germanstief-—
4Old High Germanstiof-—
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- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)tewp- →Every word from Proto-Germanic steupa- →