Talk:stepson

In this and many other definitions there is a tendency in many dictionaries to use one's in a way which is not really correct. The definition before I changed it was: This is correct if speaking of my stepson, but not if it's someone else's stepson. More correct, but more cumbersome: [anonymous comment left 19 December 2004]
 * 1) The son of one's spouse from ...
 * 1) A person's stepson is the son of his or her spouse from...

I don't see a big difference between that and: And so, more succinctly: The pronoun one doesn't necessarily mean you. - dcljr 07:47, 14 November 2005 (UTC)
 * 1) One's stepson is the son of one's spouse...
 * 1) The son of one's spouse...

Current or former spouse
There are two distinct usages of stepson. In one the relationship ends with the relationship of the spouse. In the other the relationship continues. Trying to accurately define this second usage of the word seems very tricky to get right.

For example if Jane has a son named Bob, with here first husband Fred. Then Jane divorces Fred and marries Edward. Bob is now Edward's stepson by the first usage of the word stepson. Jane then divorces Edward and marries John. Bob is still a stepson of Edward by the second usage of the word stepson. However, if Jane and John have a son Timothy, Timothy would not be a stepson of Edward by any conventional usage of the word stepson.