stepmother
n. countablen. the woman who is married to your father or mother but is not your biological parent. She becomes part of your family after a parent remarries.
n. the wife of one's father or the female spouse of one's parent, where no biological relationship exists between the woman and the child.
My stepmother and I go shopping every Saturday morning.
After his father remarried, he spent several months getting to know his new stepmother before they moved in together.
The legal rights of a stepmother regarding her spouse's children vary significantly by jurisdiction, often requiring formal adoption to establish full parental authority.
From Middle English stepmoder, from Old English stēopmōdor, from Proto-Germanic *steupamōdēr (“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”).
Countable; follows standard pluralization rules ('stepmothers').