The terms stepfather, stepmother, and stepchild have roots dating back to early Old English, as steopfæder, steopmodor, and steopcild respectively. Initially, the “steop” part was thought to signify a step removed from being a biological parent, but it actually meant “loss”. The concept was that a step-family was formed through the loss of a family member; in fact, steopcild was once synonymous with orphan. Traceable back to Proto-Germanic steupa, the term steop originates from the Proto-Indo-European root steu, which translates to “to push” or “hit”. In recent times, there has been a movement against the use of the term “step-family” due to negative associations with the “evil step-parent” stereotype. Instead, the movement has embraced the terms bonusfamily or blended family, offering a more positive perspective on the concept.
