sibling
pronunciation
How to pronounce sibling in British English:
UK [ˈsɪblɪŋ]
How to pronounce sibling in American English:
US [ˈsɪblɪŋ]
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- Noun:
- a person's brother or sister
Word Origin
- sibling (n.)
- "brother or sister," 1903, modern revival (in anthropology) of Old English sibling "relative, kinsman," from sibb "kinship, relationship; love, friendship, peace, happiness," from Proto-Germanic *sibja- "blood relation, relative," properly "one's own" (cognates: Old Saxon sibba, Old Frisian, Middle Dutch sibbe, Old High German sippa, German Sippe, Gothic sibja "kin, kindred"), from PIE s(w)e-bh(o)- (cognates: Old Church Slavonic sobistvo, Russian sob "character, individuality"), an enlargement of the root *swe- "self" (see idiom). Related to the second element in gossip. The word 'sib' or 'sibling' is coming into use in genetics in the English-speaking world, as an equivalent of the convenient German term 'Geschwister' [E.&C. Paul, "Human Heredity," 1930] In Old English, sibb and its compounds covered grounds of "brotherly love, familial affection" which tended later to lump into love (n.), as in sibsumnes "peace, concord, brotherly love," sibbian (v.) "bring together, reconcile," sibbecoss "kiss of peace." Sibship, however, is a modern formation (1908). Sib persisted through Middle English as a noun, adjective, and verb expressing kinship and relationship.
Example
- 1. How safe is my college-age child , grandchild , sibling , family member ?
- 2. Her sibling earned $ 3.6 billion , against a loss of $ 5.3 billion .
- 3. The researchers say they were surprised to find sibling influence was stronger in families with two parents than one .
- 4. Several research studies indicate that up to 45 % of adults have a rivalrous or distant relationship with a sibling .
- 5. But our sibling relationships are often the longest of our lives , lasting 80 years or more .