sister

English

Etymology

From Middle English sister, suster, partly from Old Norse systir (“sister”) and partly from Old English swustor, sweoster, sweostor (“sister, nun”); both from Proto-Germanic *swestēr (“sister”), from Proto-Indo-European *swésōr (“sister”). Cognate with Scots sister, syster (“sister”), West Frisian sus, suster (“sister”), Dutch zuster (“sister”), German Schwester (“sister”), Swedish syster (“sister”), Icelandic systir (“sister”), Gothic 𐍃𐍅𐌴𐍃𐍄𐌰𐍂 (swestar, “sister”), Latin soror (“sister”), Russian сестра (sestra, “sister”), Lithuanian sesuo (“sister”), Albanian vajzë (“girl,maiden”), Sanskrit स्वसृ (svásṛ, “sister”).

Pronunciation

Noun

sister (plural sisters or (archaic) sistren)

  1. A daughter of the same parents as another person; a female sibling.
    My sister is always driving me crazy.
  2. A female member of a religious community; a nun.
    Michelle left behind her bank job and became a sister at the local convent.
  3. (UK) A senior or supervisory nurse, often in a hospital.
  4. Any woman or girl with whom a bond is felt through common membership of a race, profession, religion or organization, such as feminism.
    Connie was very close to her friend Judy and considered her to be her sister.
  5. (slang) A black woman.
  6. (informal) A form of address to a woman.
    • What’s up, sister?
  7. A woman, in certain labour or socialist circles; also as a form of address.
    • Thank you, sister. I would like to thank the sister who just spoke.
  8. (attributively) Of or relating to an entity that has a special or affectionate, non-hierachical relationship with another.
    sister publication, sister city, sister projects
  9. (usually attributively) In the same class.
    sister ships, sister facility

Synonyms

Antonyms

Hypernyms

  • (daughter of common parents): sibling

Derived terms

Terms derived from sister

Related terms

Translations

woman or girl having the same parents
a nun; a female member of a religious community
senior nurse
any woman or girl with whom a bond is felt
black woman
form of address to a woman
attributively: of an entity that has a special relationship with another
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Translations to be checked

Verb

sister (third-person singular simple present sisters, present participle sistering, simple past and past participle sistered)

  1. (transitive, construction) To strengthen (a supporting beam) by fastening a second beam alongside it.
    I’m trying to correct my sagging floor by sistering the joists.
  2. (obsolete, transitive) To be sister to; to resemble closely.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)

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Scots

Pronunciation

  • IPA: [ˈsɪstər]

Noun

sister (plural sisters)

  1. sister

Derived terms

  • guid-sister
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Last modified on 19 May 2013, at 21:41