prefix · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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General-American, Received-Pronunciation:/stɛp-/
General-American:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
1
prefix
Meaning 1
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.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: morpheme
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Middle English step-, from Old English stēop- (“deprived of a relative, step-”, prefix), from Proto-West Germanic *steupa-, from Proto-Germanic *steupa- (“orphaned, step-”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewp- (“to push, strike”). Cognate with Scots step- (“step-”), West Frisian stiep- (“step-”), Dutch stief- (“step-”), Low German steef- (“step-”), German stief- (“step-”), Swedish styv- (“step-”), Icelandic stjúp- (“step-”). Related to Old English stīepan (“to deprive, bereave”). Not, however, related to the familiar English noun or verb step.
Across languages
Translations
54 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Armenian:
խորթ
(xortʻ)
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Azerbaijani:
ögey
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Bashkir:
үгәй
(ügəy)
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Catalan:
-astre
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Chinese Mandarin:
后
(hòu)
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Chinese Mandarin:
表
(biǎo)
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Crimean Tatar:
ögey
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Danish:
bonus-
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Danish:
sted-
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Danish:
pap-
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Danish:
plastic-
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Dutch:
stief-
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Finnish:
-puoli (e.g. velipuoli)
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
French:
beau-
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
French:
bel-
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
French:
belle-
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Georgian:
-ნაცვალი
(-nacvali)
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
German:
stief-
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Gujarati:
ઓરમાન
(oramān)
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Gujarati:
અપર
(apar)
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Gujarati:
સાવકું
(sāvkũ)
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Gujarati:
ઓરમાઈ
(oramāī)
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Hebrew:
חורג
(chorég)
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Hebrew:
חורגת
(choréget)
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Hindi:
सौतेला
(sautelā)
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Hindi:
सौतेली
(sautelī)
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Icelandic:
stjúp-
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Ido:
stif-
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Ido:
stifa
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Indonesian:
tiri
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Irish:
leas-
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Italian:
-astro
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Italian:
astra
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Italian:
-astra
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Javanese:
kuwalon
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Kazakh:
өгей
(ögei)
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Malay:
tiri
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Māori:
whakaangi
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Eastern Mari:
ӧгай
(ögaj)
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Norwegian Bokmål:
ste-
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Norwegian Nynorsk:
ste-
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Old Norse:
stjúp-
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Portuguese:
-asto
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Portuguese:
-asta
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Romanian:
vitreg
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Russian:
сво́дный
(svódnyj)
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Spanish:
-astro
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Spanish:
-astra
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Swahili:
kambo
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Swedish:
styv-
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Tatar:
үги
(ügi)
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Turkish:
üvey
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Turkmen:
öweý
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
Yiddish:
שטיפֿ־
(shtif-)
— prefix used to indicate that the person being identified is not a blood relative
