Dictionary

stepfamily en · NOUN

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)tew- Proto-Germanic *steupa- Proto-West Germanic *steupa- Old English stēop- Middle English step- English step- English family English stepfamily From step- + family.

Meanings

1. Any family having one or more stepchildren or stepparents.
   • Researchers are finding that the incidence of violence and abuse is vastly greater in stepfamilies than in traditional families in which the children are biologically related to both parents and to one other. 1998 October 2, Jane E. Brody, “Genetic Ties May Be Factor In Violence in Stepfamilies”, in The New York Times:
   • Meanwhile, thanks to the huge number of second marriages, a third of all Americans are part of a stepfamily. 2006 May 17, Po Bronson, “Are Stepparents Real Parents?”, in Time, archived from the original on 25 Dec 2024:
2. The family of one's stepfather or stepmother; those immediate family members not related by blood.

Forms

Relateds

steprelative

Synonyms

patchwork family · blended family

Translations (14)

it famiglia ricomposta (a family having stepchildren or stepparents) · br familh adframmet (a family having stepchildren or stepparents) · sv styvfamilj (the family of one's stepparent) · fr famille recomposée (a family having stepchildren or stepparents) · es familia reconstituida (a family having stepchildren or stepparents) · nl samengesteld gezin (a family having stepchildren or stepparents) · ca família reconstituïda (a family having stepchildren or stepparents) · nl stiefgezin (the family of one's stepparent) · ru сво́дная семья́ (a family having stepchildren or stepparents) · sv styvfamilj (a family having stepchildren or stepparents) · de Stieffamilie (a family having stepchildren or stepparents) · pl przybrana rodzina (a family having stepchildren or stepparents) · de Stieffamilie (the family of one's stepparent) · sl krušna družina (a family having stepchildren or stepparents)