Stepmother

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: step + moth + er

Origin

- + mother

Full definition of stepmother

Noun

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

Usage notes

In Western heterosexual couples, this is typically after 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

• stepmom

Hypernyms

• stepparent