stepchild

See also: step-child

English

Alternative forms

• step-child

Etymology

From Middle English stepchild, stepchyld, from Old English stēopċild (“stepchild”), equivalent to step- +‎ child. Compare Dutch stiefkind (“stepchild”), German Stiefkind (“stepchild”), Swedish styvbarn (“stepchild”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈstɛp.tʃaɪld/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: step‧child

Noun

stepchild (plural stepchildren)

1. The child of one's spouse from a previous relationship.
   • 2024 May 1, Charles M. Blow, “Kamala Harris Isn’t Americans’ ‘Momala.’ She’s Our Vice President.”, in The New York Times‎^[1], archived from the original on 3 May 2024:

     On Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris appeared on “The Drew Barrymore Show,” and in a lighthearted moment, explained — as she did during the last presidential election cycle — that in her blended family, her stepchildren affectionately call her Momala.

   • 2024 August 3, Paula Span, “When Elder Care Is All in the Stepfamily”, in The New York Times‎^[2], archived from the original on 29 August 2024:

     Calculating the growth in stepfamilies isn’t simple, but a demographic analysis published last year estimated that about 16 percent of Americans over age 70 have at least one stepchild. […] Overall, stepchildren provide less care to older adults

2. (obsolete) A bereaved child; one who has lost father or mother.

Synonyms

• (child of one's spouse but not one's own): stepbairn (Britain dialectal, chiefly Scotland), stepkid (informal), step (colloquial)
• (bereaved child): orphan

Antonyms

• stepparent

Hyponyms

• stepdaughter
• stepson
• stepteen
• See also Thesaurus:relative

Derived terms

• red-headed stepchild
• stepchildhood

Translations

the child of one's spouse from his or her previous partner

• Albanian: thjeshtër (sq)
• Armenian: խորթ զավակ (xortʻ zavak)
• Bulgarian: дове́дено дете́ n (dovédeno deté), зава́рено дете́ n (zaváreno deté)
• Catalan: fillastre (ca) m, fillastra (ca) f
• Danish: stedbarn n
• Finnish: lapsipuoli
• French: bel-enfant (fr) m, beau-fils (fr) m (stepson), belle-fille (fr) f (stepdaughter), fillâtre (fr) m or f
• Georgian: გერი (geri), არაღვიძლი შვილი (araɣviʒli švili)
• German: Stiefkind (de) n
• Greek: θετό τέκνο n (thetó tékno), πρόγονος (el) (prógonos)

  Pontic Greek: προγόνιν (progónin)

• Hanunoo: anak ulong
• Hausa: agola
• Hungarian: mostohagyerek (hu), mostohagyermek (hu)
• Icelandic: stjúpbarn n
• Ido: stif-filio
• Indonesian: anak tiri (id)
• Italian: stepchild m or f by sense (politically correct, euphemism, Anglicism), configlio m~configlia f (rare), figliastro m~figliastra f, privigno m~privigna f (rare, Latinism)
• Japanese: 継子 (ja) (ままこ, mamako, けいし, keishi) (any child of a parent who is not a blood relation: could also be an adoptee or foster child), 連れ子 (ja) (つれこ, tsureko, つれっこ, tsurekko) (more specifically, a child from a previous marriage)
• Javanese: anak kuwalon
• Laz: პროღონი (p̌roğoni)
• Latin: prīvignus m, prīvigna f
• Macedonian: дове́деник m (dovédenik), по́синок m (pósinok)
• Middle English: stepchild, stepbarn
• Old English: stēopċild n, stēopbearn n
• Plautdietsch: Steefkjint n
• Polish: pasierb (pl) m, pasierbica (pl) f
• Portuguese: enteado (pt) m
• Russian: па́сынок (ru) m (pásynok), па́дчерица (ru) f (pádčerica), приёмная дочь f (prijómnaja dočʹ), приёмный сын m (prijómnyj syn)
• Scottish Gaelic: dalta m
• Sicilian: figghiastru
• Spanish: hijastro (es) m, hijastra (es) f
• Swedish: styvbarn (sv) n, (colloquial) plastbarn n, bonusbarn (sv) n
• Tagalog: anak na pangaman
• Tanana:

  Lower Tanana: -dena' nelanenh

• Turkish: üvey çocuk (tr), üvey evlat (tr)
• Volapük: (♂♀) lucil (vo), (♂) hilucil, (♀) jilucil

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Italian: ^{(please verify)} figliastro (it) m, ^{(please verify)} figliastra (it) f
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: ^{(please verify)} nevis (ku), ^{(please verify)} nevisî (ku)

See also

• Category:English terms prefixed with step-
• half-sibling, half-brother, half-sister
• step-grandchild, step-grandson, step-granddaughter
• step-niece, step-nephew, step-cousin

Italian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English stepchild, with the foreignness of the word making it suitable as a politically correct euphemism.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /stepˈt͡ʃajld/
• Rhymes: -ajld

Noun

stepchild m or f by sense

1. (politically correct, euphemistic, Anglicism) stepchild

   Synonyms: figlio adottivo, figlioccio, figliastro, (rare) configlio, (Latinism) privigno

   La stepchild adoption è un istituto a tutela dei legami instaurati da un minore con il coniuge o compagno del proprio genitore.

   The stepchild adoption is a legal procedure to sustain the bonds of a minor with the spouse or partner of their own parent.

Middle English

Alternative forms

• steppe-child, stepchyld

Etymology

From Old English stēopċild (“stepchild”); equivalent to step- +‎ child.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈstɛpˌt͡ʃiːld/

Noun

stepchild (plural stepchildren or stepchildre)

1. stepchild (child of a spouse)
2. (rare) orphan

Descendants

• English: stepchild

References

• “step-chīld, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.