sibling

English

Etymology

1903, modern revival of Old English sibling (“relative, a relation, kinsman”), equivalent to sib +‎ -ling. Compare Middle English sib, sibbe (“relative; kinsman”), German Sippe. The term apparently meant merely kin or relative until the 20th century when its necessity for the study of genetics led to its specialized use. For example, the OED has a 1903 citation in which "sibling" must be defined for those who don't know the intended meaning.[1]

Pronunciation
  • enPR: sĭbʹ-lĭng, IPA(key): /ˈsɪblɪŋ/
  • Rhymes: -ɪblɪŋ, -ɪŋ
  • Hyphenation: sib‧ling

Noun

sibling (plural siblings)

  1. A person who shares a parent; one's brother or sister who one shares a parent with.
    None of my siblings are married yet.
  2. (computing theory) A node in a data structure that shares its parent with another node.

Derived terms
Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

References
  1. Karl Pearson; Alice Lee (1903), “On the laws of inheritance in man”, in Biometrika, volume 2, issue 4, page 369:
    These [calculations] will enable us […] to predict the probable character in any individual from a knowledge of one or more parents or brethren (“siblings,” = brothers or sisters).

Anagrams
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