novercal

American

[noh-vur-kuhl] / noʊˈvɜr kəl /

adjective

of, like, or befitting a stepmother.

novercal British

/ nəʊˈvɜːkəl /

adjective

rare stepmotherly

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

unnovercal

adjective

Etymology

Origin of novercal

1615–25; < Latin novercālis, equivalent to noverc ( a ) stepmother + -ālis -al ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

To that sister Lady Edgermond the second does not behave exactly in the traditionally novercal fashion, but she is scandalised by the girl's Italian ways, artistic and literary temperament, desire for society, etc.

From A History of the French Novel, Vol. 2 To the Close of the 19th Century by Saintsbury, George

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023