stepmother \ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷\noun Etymology: Middle English stepmoder, from Old English stēopmōdor (akin to Middle High German stiefmuoter, Old Norse stjūmōthir), from stēop- step- + mōdor mother — more at step-, mother 1.: the wife of one's father by a subsequent marriage 2.: one that fails to give proper care or attention < the monastery had got the credit of founding a school but had … been a stepmother to it — Contemporary Review > 3.dialect: hangnail