STEP- implies "orphan"

STEP'-CHILD, n. [step and child.] A son-in-law or daughter-in-law, [a child deprived of its parent.]
STEP'-DAME, n. A mother by marriage, [the mother of an orphan or one deprived.]
STEP'-DAUGH-TER, n. A daughter by marriage [an orphan daughter.]
STEP'-FA-THER, n. A father-in-law; a father by marriage only; [the father of an orphan.]
STEP'-MOTH-ER, n. A mother by marriage only; a mother-in-law; [the mother of an orphan.]
STEP'-SIS-TER, n. A sister-in-law, or by marriage, [an orphan sister.]

STATION < STANDING TO PRAY

STA´TION, n. [Fr. from L. statio, from sto, status; It. stazione; Sp. estacion.]
‎1. The act of standing.
Their manner was to stand at prayer … on which their meetings for that purpose received the name of stations. [Obs.] – Hooker.

Female spinner

SPIN'STER, n. [spin and ster.]
1. A woman who spins, or whose occupation is to spin. Hence,
2. In law, the common title by which a woman without rank or distinction is designated.
If a gentlewoman is termed a spinster, she may abate the writ. – Coxe.

Spelling as manners from NW the spelling reformer

SPELL'ING, n. ...
2. Orthography: the manner of forming words with letters. Bad spelling is disreputable to a gentleman.

Folk Etymology

SPAR'ROW-GRASS, n. A corruption of Asparagus.

Academics in Agriculture Metaphor

SOW, v. t. [pret. sowed; pp. sowed or sown. Sax. sawan; G. säen; D. zaajen; Sw. så; Dan. saaer; Russ. siyu; perhaps L. sevi. This word is probably contracted.]

4. To supply or stock with seed.
The intellectual faculty is a goodly field, and it is the worst husbandry in the world to sow it with trifles. – Hale.