Step-. [AS. steóp-; akin to OFries. stiap-, stiep-, D. & G. stief-, OHG. stiuf- , Icel. stj&?;p-, Sw. styf-, and to AS. āstēpan, āsteópan, to deprive, bereave, as children of their parents, OHG. stiufen.] A prefix used before father, mother, brother, sister, son, daughter, child, etc., to indicate that the person thus spoken of is not a blood relative, but is a relative by the marriage of a parent; as, a stepmother to X is the wife of the father of X, married by him after the death of the mother of X. See Stepchild, Stepdaughter, Stepson, etc.

Step-. [AS. steóp-; akin to OFries. stiap-, stiep-, D. & G. stief-, OHG. stiuf- , Icel. stj&?;p-, Sw. styf-, and to AS. āstēpan, āsteópan, to deprive, bereave, as children of their parents, OHG. stiufen.] A prefix used before father, mother, brother, sister, son, daughter, child, etc., to indicate that the person thus spoken of is not a blood relative, but is a relative by the marriage of a parent; as, a stepmother to X is the wife of the father of X, married by him after the death of the mother of X. See Stepchild, Stepdaughter, Stepson, etc.

• 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. See stepfather, stepmother, stepbrother, stepsister, stepson, stepdaughter, and stepchild.