Meanings
nounstepmother (plural stepmothers)
plural stepmothers · alternative step-mother
- A woman who is a subsequent wife or partner of a person's parent, usually following the divorce or separation of their parents, or the death of one's biological mother.
- A person or thing likened to a stereotypical stepmother, having cold, cruel, or ungenerous qualities.
Synonyms: bonus mother
- biologyAn animal, typically a bird, who raises the offspring of another animal.First known use 1567
Synonyms: bonus mother
- abbreviationclippingClipping of stepmother's blessing.
- rarebiologyA viola, especially Viola tricolor, heartsease.First known use 1828
The second came up about ten days later in the lee of the channel marker, and it was called stepmother, or love-in-idelness.
1974, Tove Jansson, translated by Thomas Teal, The Summer Book, Sort Of Books, published 2003, page 115
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA person or thing likened to a stereotypical stepmother, having cold, cruel, or ungenerous qualities.
Similar
nounAn animal, typically a bird, who raises the offspring of another animal.
Similar
nounSynonym of co-mother (“the non-birth mother of a child in a lesbian couple”).
Similar
Also see
Origin
- Proto-Germanic*steupamōdēr“stepmother”
- Old Englishstēopmōdor
- Middle Englishstepmoder
- Englishstepmother
From Middle English stepmoder, from Old English stēopmōdor, from Proto-Germanic *steupamōdēr (“stepmother”), corresponding to step- + mother. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Stäifmuur (“stepmother”), Dutch stiefmoeder (“stepmother”), German Low German Steevmoder (“stepmother”), German Stiefmutter (“stepmother”), Danish stedmor (“stepmother”), Swedish styvmor (“stepmother”), Icelandic stjúpmóðir (“stepmother”). Compare also West Frisian styfmem (“stepmother”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek μητρυιά
- μητρυιά (mētruiá)wife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Arabic زَوْجَةُ الْأَب, رَابَّة
- زَوْجَةُ الْأَب (zawjatu l-ʔab)wife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- رَابَّة (rābba)wife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Basque amaorde
- amaordewife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Bulgarian ма́щеха
- ма́щеха (mášteha)wife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Catalan madrastra
- madrastrawife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Chinese Mandarin 繼母 /继母, 後母 /后母
- 繼母 /继母 (jìmǔ)wife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- 後母 /后母 (hòumǔ)wife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Czech macecha, nevlastní matka
- macechawife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- nevlastní matkawife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- macochawife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Danish stedmor, papmor
- stedmorwife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- papmorwife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- bonusmorwife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- plasticmorwife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Dutch stiefmoeder
- stiefmoederwife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Esperanto vicpatrino, duonpatrino
- vicpatrinowife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- duonpatrinowife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Estonian kasuema
- kasuemawife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Finnish äitipuoli
- äitipuoliwife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
French belle-mère, marâtre
- belle-mèrewife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- marâtrewife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
German Stiefmutter, Stiefelternteil
- Stiefmutterwife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- Stiefelternteilwife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Greek μητριά, θετή μητέρα
- μητριά (mitriá)wife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- θετή μητέρα (thetí mitéra)wife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- ματροία (matroía)wife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Hebrew אם חורגת
- אם חורגת (em khóreget)wife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Hindi विमाता, सौतेली माँ
- विमाता (vimātā)wife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- सौतेली माँ (sautelī mā̃)wife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Hungarian mostohaanya
- mostohaanyawife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Icelandic stjúpmóðir, stjúpa
- stjúpmóðirwife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- stjúpawife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- stjúpmammawife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Indonesian ibu tiri
- ibu tiriwife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Irish leasmháthair
- leasmháthairwife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Italian matrigna
- matrignawife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Japanese 継母
- 継母 (keibo)wife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Korean 계모, 새어머니
- 계모 (gyemo)wife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- 새어머니 (saeeomeoni)wife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- 의붓어머니 (uibuseomeoni)wife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- 새엄마 (saeeomma)wife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Latin noverca, matrastra
- novercawife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- matrastrawife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- vitricawife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- victricawife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Latvian pamāte
- pamātewife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Lithuanian pamotė
- pamotėwife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Māori whaea whakaangi, whaea kē
- whaea whakaangiwife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- whaea kēwife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Norwegian Bokmål stemor
- stemorwife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Persian نامادری, مادندر
- نامادری (nâmâdari)wife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- مادندر (mâdandar)wife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Polish macocha
- macochawife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Portuguese madrasta
- madrastawife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Romanian mașteră, mamă vitregă
- mașterăwife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- mamă vitregăwife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Russian ма́чеха, приёмная мать
- ма́чеха (máčexa)wife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- приёмная мать (prijómnaja matʹ)wife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Scottish Gaelic muime, leas-mhàthair
- muimewife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- leas-mhàthairwife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Slovak macocha
- macochawife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Spanish madrastra
- madrastrawife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Swahili mama wa kambo
- mama wa kambowife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Swedish styvmor, styvmamma
- styvmorwife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- styvmammawife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- bonusmammawife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- plastmammawife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Tagalog inang-panguman, madrasta
- inang-pangumanwife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- madrastawife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Tamil மாற்றாந்தாய், மறுதாய்
- மாற்றாந்தாய் (māṟṟāntāy)wife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- மறுதாய் (maṟutāy)wife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- வேற்றுத்தாய் (vēṟṟuttāy)wife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Turkish üvey anne
- üvey annewife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Ukrainian ма́чуха
- ма́чуха (máčuxa)wife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Vietnamese mẹ ghẻ, mẹ kế
- mẹ ghẻwife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
- mẹ kếwife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Yiddish שטיפֿמאַמע
- שטיפֿמאַמע (shtifmame)wife of one's biological father, not one's biological mother
Cite this entry
APA
stepmother. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stepmother
MLA
“stepmother.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stepmother. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “stepmother,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stepmother.
Source: stepmother on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.