English
step-
Step- comes from Proto-Germanic *steupa- ‘orphaned, step-’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewp- ‘to push, strike’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)tewp-‘to push, strike’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*steupa-‘orphaned, step-’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*steupa-reconstructed
- Englishtodaystep-
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)tewp-‘to push, strike’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*steupa-‘orphaned, step-’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*steupa-reconstructed
- Englishtodaystep-
The story
Not, however, related to the familiar English noun or verb step.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewp- ‘to push, strike’
type, stop, stuff, typical, stubborn, steep, stub, timbre, stupendous, timpani, tympanum, 18 more
Today it means
prefix 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.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewp- / step-