step-

English

Etymology

From Middle English step-, from Old English stēop- (“deprived of a relative, step-”, prefix), from Proto-Germanic *steupa- (“orphaned, step-”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)teup- (“to push, strike”). Cognate with Scots step- (“step-”), West Frisian stiep- (“step-”), Dutch stief- (“step-”), Low German steef- (“step-”), German stief- (“step-”), Swedish styv- (“step-”), Icelandic stjúp- (“step-”). Related to Old English stīepan (“to deprive, bereave”).

Prefix

step-

1. A prefix used before father, mother, brother, sister, son, daughter, child, and so forth, to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative but is related through the marriage of a parent.

Derived terms

[+] English words prefixed with step-

Translations

A prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative

• Armenian: խորթ (hy) (xort')
• Catalan: -astre (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 后 (cmn), 表 (cmn)

• Crimean Tatar: ögey
• Danish: sted- (da)
• Dutch: stief- (e.g. stiefdochter, stiefmoeder, stiefvader, stiefzoon)
• Faroese: stjúk- (fo)
• Finnish: -puoli (e.g. velipuoli)
• French: beau-, bel-, belle-

• German: stief- (de)
• Icelandic: stjúp- (is)
• Old Norse: stjúp-
• Romanian: vitreg (ro)
• Spanish: -astro m, -astra f
• Swahili: kambo
• Swedish: styv- (sv)

References

• step- in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913