Stepchild

Pronunciation: /ˈstɛp.tʃaɪld/

Definitions of stepchild

noun a child of one's spouse by a previous marriage

Example Sentences

A1 A stepchild is a child of one's spouse from a previous marriage.

A2 She treats her stepchild as her own and loves him dearly.

B1 The stepchild struggled to adjust to their new blended family.

B2 The stepchild felt like an outsider in their stepmother's home.

C1 The stepchild's relationship with their stepparents improved over time.

C2 The stepchild faced challenges navigating the dynamics of their blended family.

Examples of stepchild in a Sentence

formal The stepchild is entitled to certain legal rights as a dependent of the deceased parent.

informal The stepchild is coming over for dinner tonight.

slang I heard the stepchild is a real troublemaker.

figurative The new project was treated like a stepchild compared to the company's flagship product.

Grammatical Forms of stepchild

• plural: stepchildren
• comparative: more stepchild
• superlative: most stepchild
• present tense: stepchild
• future tense: will stepchild
• perfect tense: have stepchild
• continuous tense: is stepchild
• singular: stepchild
• positive degree: stepchild
• infinitive: to stepchild
• gerund: stepchilding
• participle: stepchilded

Origin and Evolution of stepchild

First Known Use: 1250 year

Language of Origin: Old English

Story behind the word: The word 'stepchild' originated from the Old English term 'steopcild', which was derived from the words 'steop' meaning 'bereaved' or 'orphaned' and 'cild' meaning 'child'.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the meaning of 'stepchild' has evolved to refer to a child of one's spouse by a previous marriage, as opposed to solely an orphan or bereaved child.