Syster

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A female sibling; a woman regarded with close affection as if related by blood; a term used to denote camaraderie among women
2. A woman sharing one or both parents with another; an affectionate designation emphasizing female family bonds; a label expressing solidarity or kinship among females
3. A female person who shares parents with another individual; an endearing term indicating familial connection between women; a word signifying supportive relationships among women akin to family ties

Etymology: The root of this word is Old English "sweostor," which matches Latin "soror" and Sanskrit "svasar." Its shared ancestry with those languages means the word for a sister is among the oldest vocabulary English has inherited. The spelling "syster" is a Middle English variant that lived alongside "suster" until the modern form settled. The broader sense of a woman bound to other women by shared purpose grew out of the older meaning of blood kinship. Religious communities gave it an early push, since members addressed one another as sisters. Later, women's movements adopted the same language to describe solidarity among people who were not related at all.

Synonyms: sister, female sibling

Antonyms: brother, male sibling