English

stepparent

From step- + parent.

A compound of step- + parent

Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewp- ‘to push, strike’

Proto-Germanic *steupa- ‘orphaned, step-’

Proto-West Germanic *steupa-

English step-

Proto-Indo-European *perh₃- ‘to produce, beget’

…

Latin parēns ‘parent’

Latin parentem

Anglo-Norman parent

Middle English parent

Today it means

noun One's parent's spouse who is not one's biological parent.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / stepparent