stepdame

S1T1E1P3D2A1M3E1

noun

A stepmother.

OriginMiddle English stepdame →
Scrabble 13
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Meanings

nounstepdame (plural stepdames)

plural stepdames

  1. archaicA stepmother.
    1 more example

    'To be sure, Maud; maybe you are right; a stepdame is a risk, and I ought to have asked you first what you thought of it; and upon my honour,' she continued merrily but kindly, observing that my eyes, I know not exactly from what feeling, filled with tears, 'I'll never again advise your papa to marry, unless you first tell me you wish it.'

    1865, Sheridan Le Fanu, Uncle Silas

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
stepmother

Origin

  1. Middle Englishstepdame
  2. Englishstepdame

From Middle English stepdame; equivalent to step- + dame.

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

stampedeMepstead
Cite this entry
APA

stepdame. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stepdame

MLA

“stepdame.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stepdame. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “stepdame,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stepdame.

Source: stepdame on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.