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by Mastodon on July 23rd, 2008

Mastodon

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Where does the "step" in stepparent come from?

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Answers. 1 helpful answer below.

  • by Kytty on February 22nd, 2011

    Kytty

    “The prefix step- used in this sense is Middle English, derived from Old English steop-. The Old English form is cognate with similar forms in many of the Germanic languages: Old Frisian stiap-, Middle Low German stef-, Middle and modern Dutch stief-, Old High German stiof-, Old Icelandic stjup-, Swedish styv-, Old Danish stiup-, and Norwegian ste-.

    The Old English form comes from steopcild ("stepchild"), which meant "orphan". The steop- prefix comes from Old English astiepan/bestiepan "bereave" (with cognates in Old High German arstiufen/bestiufen). The sense is that an orphan is bereaving his lost parent(s).

    Before 800, stepfather/stepmother meant "one who becomes a father/mother to an orphan", and stepson/stepdaughter meant "an orphan who becomes a son/daughter by the remarriage of a parent".

    Difference today... death is not a requirement for a couple to separate.

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