different between stepmother vs novercal

English

Etymology

From Middle English stepmoder, from Old English st?opm?dor, from Proto-Germanic *steupam?d?r (“stepmother”), corresponding to step- +? mother.

Cognate with Saterland Frisian Stäifmuur (“stepmother”), Dutch stiefmoeder (“stepmother”), German Low German Steevmoder (“stepmother”), German Stiefmutter (“stepmother”), Danish stedmor (“stepmother”), Swedish styvmor (“stepmother”), Icelandic stjúpmóðir (“stepmother”). Compare also West Frisian styfmem (“stepmother”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?st?pm?ð?/
• Hyphenation: step?moth?er

Noun

stepmother (plural stepmothers)

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

   Synonyms: (euphemistic) bonus mother, (same-sex and polygamous families) co-mother

   Coordinate term: stepfather

   Hypernym: stepparent

2. (botany, rare) A viola, especially Viola tricolor, heartsease.
   • 1974, Thomas Teal, translating Tove Jansson, The Summer Book, Sort Of Books 2003, p. 115:

     The second came up about ten days later in the lee of the channel marker, and it was called stepmother, or love-in-idelness.

Usage notes

In Western heterosexual couples, this is typically 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

• mother-in-law (dated)
• stepdame (archaic)

Dialectal forms:

• stepma (chiefly Ireland, US regional)
• stepmam (chiefly Ireland, Northern England)
• stepmama (chiefly US regional)
• stepmamma (chiefly US regional)
• stepmom (chiefly US)
• stepmomma (chiefly US, informal)
• stepmommy (chiefly US, informal)
• stepmum (chiefly UK, Commonwealth)
• stepmummy (chiefly UK, Commonwealth, informal)

Translations

See also

• Category:English words prefixed with step-
• ex-stepfather
• ex-stepmother
• ex-stepparent
• stepbrother
• stepchild
• stepdaughter
• stepfamily
• stepfather
• stepparent
• stepsibling
• stepsister
• stepson

English

Etymology

From Latin novercalis, from noverca (“a stepmother”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /n???v??(?)k?l/
• Rhymes: -??(?)k?l

Adjective

novercal (not comparable)

1. Of or pertaining to a stepmother.
   • 1713, William Derham, Physico-Theology

     when almost the whole tribe of birds do thus, by incubation, produce their young , it is a wonderful deviation , that some few families only ?hould do it in a more novercal way

Synonyms

• stepmotherly