Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/swester

This Proto-West Germanic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-West Germanic

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *swestēr.

Noun

*swester f

sister

Inflection

R-stem
	Singular
Nominative	*swester
Genitive	*swestur
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	*swester	*swestar
Accusative	*swestar	*swestar
Genitive	*swestur	*swestrō
Dative	*swistri	*swestrum
Instrumental	*swistri	*swestrum

Derived terms

*swestersunu

Descendants

Old English: sweostor, swustor — Mercian; swester, suoester, soester — Northumbrian; swuster — West Saxon; swæstar, swestar, swystor, swystar — Anglian; sweoster, swystar, swyster
- Middle English: suster, cyster, cystyr, scyster, sister, sistir, soster, souster, sustir, syster, systir, systyr; swuster (Early Middle English); sussterr (Ormulum); zoster (Kent) (some forms influenced by Old Norse)
  - English: sister
    - → Gulf Arabic: سِسْتَر (sistar, “female nurse”)
    - → Japanese: シスター (shisutā)
    - → Korean: 시스터 (siseuteo)
  - Scots: sister, syster
  - Yola: zister
Old Frisian: swester
- Saterland Frisian: Suster
- West Frisian: suster
Old Saxon: *swestar, *sustar
- Middle Low German: süster, suster, syster, söster
  - German Low German: Süster
Old Dutch: *swestar, *sustar
- Middle Dutch: suster
  - Dutch: zuster
Old High German: swester
- Middle High German: swëster, suster, süster
  - Alemannic German: Schwöschter
    Italian Walser: schweschter
  - Bavarian:
    Cimbrian: sbestar, sbéstar, sbeistar
    Mòcheno: schbester
    Udinese: schbeschter, schbeister, sghbeistar
  - Central Franconian: Sester, Söster (obsolete)
  - German: Schwester
    - → Central Franconian: Schwester
    - → Luxembourgish: Schwëster
  - Hunsrik: Schwesder
  - Luxembourgish: Sëschter (archaic)
  - Pennsylvania German: Schweschder
  - Vilamovian: syster
  - Yiddish: שוועסטער (shvester)