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Q: I'm curious about the origin of "step" in "stepfather," "stepson," et al. -- M.J.D., Baton Rouge, La.

A: Me too. I always assumed that such relatives are so-called because they're one "step" away from being actual fathers, sons, etc., or because they've "stepped" into a family.

In fact, the "step" in "stepfather" stems from a completely different root than the "step" in "footstep" and "stepladder." The Old English root of "stepfather" comes from "astepan," meaning "to deprive or bereave."

Someone was called a "stepfather" or "stepmother" because he or she had acquired a position in the family through the bereavement of a widower or widow. So "stepfather" really meant "grief father" -- and, no, that doesn't mean you can give him grief.

Today, of course, we attach the "step-" prefix to "father," "mother," "son," "daughter," "sister" and "brother" even if the "step" relative assumed his or her position in the family through divorce and not death.

Q: In a story I just read, I found this: "I was woken up bright and early." Is "woken" a word? -- June Leeper, Belle Vernon, Pa.

A: How nice to get a question about "woke" that won't trigger political discord!

Perhaps no verb family in English causes more mischief than "wake" and its various forms. The "wakes" are a rough-hewn, rootin'-tootin' backcountry family with all kinds of eccentric relatives, including "waken" and "awaken."

Over the centuries, the irregular verb forms of "wake" have shifted more often than a debutante on a corncob mattress. During recent decades, for instance, the past tense "woke" ("I woke at 7 a.m. yesterday") has won out over the past tense "waked" ("I waked at 7 a.m. yesterday").

Wake up, Word Guy! The question was about "woken"!

Um, sorry. The past participles of "wake" are "waked" and "woken." So you can say either "I have waked" and "I was waked," or "I have woken" and "I was woken."

Stuffy pedants will tell you "woken" is non-standard and colloquial, but it's the predominant past participle form in Britain and feels more natural than "waked" to many Americans as well. Still, in formal writing, it's best to stick with "have waked" and "was waked."

If those forms sound strange, simply add "up" ("have waked up," "was waked up") or use the past tenses of "waken" ("have wakened," "was wakened") or "awaken" ("have awakened," "was awakened").

But in casual conversation, it's "woken" that's spoken.

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Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Conn., invites your language sightings. His book, "Mark My Words," is available for $9.99 on Amazon.com. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via e-mail to Wordguy@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.

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