Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
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noun
A daughter of the same parents as another person; a female sibling.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Synonyms: sis
Antonyms: brother
Broader terms: sibling
noun
A female member of a religious order; especially one devoted to more active service; (informal) a nun.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Synonyms: nun
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Any butterfly in the genus Adelpha, so named for the resemblance of the dark-colored wings to the black habit traditionally worn by nuns.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A senior or supervisory nurse, often in a hospital.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: charge nurse
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Any woman or girl with whom a bond is felt through the same biological sex, gender or common membership in a community, race, profession, religion, organization, or ism.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A black woman.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: capitalized, slang, sometimes
Qualifier: African-American Vernacular
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A form of address to a woman.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal
Synonyms: darling, dear, love, lady, miss, pet
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A female fellow member of a religious community, church, trades union etc.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
An entity that has a special or affectionate, non-hierarchical relationship with another.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: attributive
Synonyms: affiliate, affiliated
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A node in a data structure that shares its parent with another node.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: computing, computing-theory, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Something in the same class.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: attributive, usually
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
One of two tornados that form in close proximity at the same time or in quick succession.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Title of respect for an adult female member of a religious order.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Title of respect for an adult female member of a fraternal/sororal organization, or comrade in a movement, or even a stranger using fictive kin.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A title used to personify or respectfully refer to concepts or animals.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To strengthen (a supporting beam) by fastening a second beam alongside it.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Topics: business, construction, manufacturing
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
To be sister to; to resemble closely.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
(slang) sometimes used as a term of address for attractive young women
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: baby, babe
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: girl, miss, missy, young lady, young woman, fille
noun
a female person who is a fellow member of a sorority or labor union or other group
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: member, fellow member
Narrower terms: Beguine
noun
(Roman Catholic Church) a title given to a nun (and used as a form of address)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: nun
noun
a female person who has the same parents as another person
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: sis
Antonyms: brother
Broader terms: female sibling
Narrower terms: big sister, little sister, half sister, half-sister, stepsister
History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *swé Proto-Indo-European *h1ésh2r̥ Proto-Indo-European *su-h1ésh2-ōr? Proto-Indo-European *swé Proto-Indo-European *-sōr ? Proto-Indo-European *swésōrder. Proto-Germanic *swestēr Proto-West Germanic *swester Old English sweostor Middle English suster English sister Inherited from Middle English suster, from Old English sweostor, from Proto-West Germanic *swester, from Proto-Germanic *swestēr, from Proto-Indo-European *swésōr. Doublet of soror. Cognate with Scots sister, syster (“sister”), West Frisian sus, suster (“sister”), Dutch zuster (“sister”), German Schwester (“sister”), Norwegian Bokmål søster (“sister”), Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish syster (“sister”), Icelandic systir (“sister”), Gothic 𐍃𐍅𐌹𐍃𐍄𐌰𐍂 (swistar, “sister”), Latin soror (“sister”), Russian сестра́ (sestrá, “sister”), Lithuanian sesuo (“sister”), Albanian vajzë (“girl, maiden”), Sanskrit स्वसृ (svásṛ, “sister”), Persian خواهر (xâhar, “sister”). In standard English, the form with i is due to contamination with Old Norse systir (“sister”). The plural sistren is from Middle English sistren, a variant plural of sister, suster (“sister”); compare brethren. The sense for "Adelpha-genus butterfly" is a semantic loan from translingual Adelpha, itself from Ancient Greek ἀδελφή (adelphḗ, “sister”).
Across languages
654 source translations are retained for this English entry.
