English
stepfather
Stepfather comes from Middle English stepfader, and goes back to Proto-Germanic *steupafadēr.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*steupafadērreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150stēopfæder
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500stepfader
- Englishearliest quotation 1953stepfather
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*steupafadērreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150stēopfæder
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500stepfader
- Englishearliest quotation 1953stepfather
Earliest quotation: 1953, Cyril Dean Darlington, The Facts of Life: “Telegony or Inheritance from the Stepfather The earliest reference…”
Every English word from Proto-Germanic *steupafadēr
Today it means
noun The husband of one's biological mother after her initial marriage to or relationship with one's biological father.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *steupafadēr / stepfather