English Explanatory Dictionary

stepmother

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A woman who is a subsequent wife or partner of a person's parent, usually following the divorce or separation of their parents, or the death of one's biological mother.
  2. A person or thing likened to a stereotypical stepmother, having cold, cruel, or ungenerous qualities.
  3. An animal, typically a bird, who raises the offspring of another animal.
  4. Synonym of co-mother (“the non-birth mother of a child in a lesbian couple”).
  5. Clipping of stepmother's blessing.
  6. A viola, especially Viola tricolor, heartsease.

Pronunciation

/ˈstɛpmʌðə/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-stepmother.wav

Word forms

stepmother stepmothers step-mother

Etymology

From Middle English stepmoder, from Old English stēopmōdor, from Proto-Germanic *steupamōdēr (“stepmother”), corresponding to step- + mother. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Stäifmuur (“stepmother”), Dutch stiefmoeder (“stepmother”), German Low German Steevmoder (“stepmother”), German Stiefmutter (“stepmother”), Danish stedmor (“stepmother”), Swedish styvmor (“stepmother”), Icelandic stjúpmóðir (“stepmother”). Compare also West Frisian styfmem (“stepmother”).

Synonyms

mother-in-law stepdame stepma stepmam stepmama stepmamma stepmom stepmomma stepmommy stepmum stepmummy bonus mother co-mother

Related words

ex-stepfather ex-stepparent stepbrother stepchild stepdaughter stepmother-in-law stepfamily stepfather stepparent stepsibling stepsister stepson

Derived words

ex-stepmother stepmotherhood stepmotherless stepmotherly

Translations

Albanian: njerkë Southern Altai: ӧӧй эне Arabic: زَوْجَةُ الْأَب Arabic: رَابَّة Armenian: խորթ մայր Armenian: մորու Aromanian: nuearcã Aromanian: nearcã Asturian: madrasta Asturian: madrastra Azerbaijani: ögey ana Basque: amaorde Belarusian: ма́чаха Bulgarian: ма́щеха Burmese: မိထွေး Catalan: madrastra Chinese Mandarin: 繼母 /继母 Chinese Mandarin: 後母 /后母 Czech: macecha Czech: nevlastní matka Czech: macocha Dalmatian: matraja Danish: stedmor Danish: papmor Danish: bonusmor Danish: plasticmor Dutch: stiefmoeder Esperanto: vicpatrino Esperanto: duonpatrino Estonian: kasuema Faroese: stjúkmóðir Finnish: äitipuoli French: belle-mère French: marâtre Friulian: madrigne Galician: madrasta Georgian: დედინაცვალი German: Stiefmutter German: Stiefelternteil Greek: μητριά Greek: θετή μητέρα Greek: ματροία Ancient Greek: μητρυιά Gujarati: અપરમાતા Gujarati: ઓરમાન મા Gujarati: સાવકી મા Hebrew: אם חורגת Hindi: सौतेली माँ Hungarian: mostohaanya Icelandic: stjúpmóðir Icelandic: stjúpa Icelandic: stjúpmamma Indonesian: ibu tiri Ingrian: emintimä Irish: leasmháthair Italian: matrigna Japanese: 継母 Kashmiri: وورٕ موج Kashmiri: وورٕ مٲج Kazakh: өгей ана Kazakh: өгей шеше
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