STEPMOTHER

stepmother

(noun) the wife of your father by a subsequent marriage

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology

Noun

stepmother (plural stepmothers)

The wife of one's biological father, other than one's biological mother.

Synonyms: bonus mother (euphemistic), co-mother (same-sex and polygamous families)

Coordinate term: stepfather

Hypernym: stepparent

(botany, rare) A viola, especially Viola tricolor, heartsease.

Usage notes

In Western heterosexual couples, this is typically after the divorce or death of the birth mother; in polygamous marriages and lesbian couples, the term may be used for co-mother or nonbirth mother.

Synonyms

• mother-in-law (dated)

Dialectal forms

• stepma (chiefly Ireland, US regional)

• stepmam (chiefly Ireland, Northern England)

• stepmama (chiefly US regional)

• stepmamma (chiefly US regional)

• stepmom (chiefly US)

• stepmum (chiefly UK, Commonwealth)

Source: Wiktionary

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Step"moth`er, n. Etym: [AS. steópmoder.]

Definition: The wife of one's father by a subsequent marriage.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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