Meanings
plural stepbairns · alternative Northern England stepbarn
- ScotlandUKdialectalotherwise obsoleteA stepchild.
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Proto-Germanic*steupabarną“stepchild”
- Proto-West Germanic*steupabarn
- Old Englishstēopbearn“orphan”
- Middle Englishstepbarn“orphan”
- Englishstepbairn
From Middle English stepbarn (“orphan”), from Old English stēopbearn (“orphan”), from Proto-West Germanic *steupabarn, from Proto-Germanic *steupabarną (“stepchild”), equivalent to step- + bairn. Cognate with Old High German stiofbarn (“stepchild”), Norwegian stebarn (“stepchild”) Danish stedbarn (“stepchild”), Swedish styvbarn (“stepchild”), Icelandic stjúpbarn (“stepchild”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
stepbairn. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stepbairn
“stepbairn.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stepbairn. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “stepbairn,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stepbairn.
Source: stepbairn on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.