*swestēr

Runic: ᛊᚹᛖᛊᛏᛖᚱ Pronunciation: /ˈswes.tɛːr/

noun · feminine · r-stem

Meanings

sister

Etymology

Remodeled based on analogy with *-tēr kinship words, from Proto-Indo-European *swésōr. This may well have been triggered by the insertion of *-t- in the cluster *-sr- that arose in several oblique case forms, a change which is also found in *þimstr (‘dark, dusky’) and *Austrǭ (‘springtime, Easter; a goddess of spring and fertility’) and is therefore likely a regular sound change in Proto-Germanic.

Declension

Case	Singular	Plural
Nom.	swestēr	swistriz
Acc.	swesterų	swestrunz
Gen.	swesturz	swestrǫ̂
Dat.	swistri	swestrumaz
Inst.	swestrē	swestrumiz
Voc.	swester	swistriz

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Descendants

*swester (Proto-West Germanic)
- *swestar, *sustar (Old Dutch)
  - suster (Middle Dutch)
    - zöster (Limburgish)
*swester (Proto-West Germanic)
- *swestar, *sustar (Old Dutch)
  - suster (Middle Dutch)
    - zuster (Dutch)
      - suster (Afrikaans)
      - sosro, sosoro (Berbice Creole Dutch)
      - sester (Caribbean Hindustani)
      - soster, sester (Caribbean Javanese)
      - suster (Indonesian)
      - soosútu (Saramaccan)
      - soster (Skepi Creole Dutch)
*swester (Proto-West Germanic)
- sweostor, swustor, swester, suoester, soester, swuster, swæstar, swestar, swystor, swystar, sweoster, swostur, swyster (Old English)
  - suster, cyster, cystyr, scyster, sister, sistir, soster, souster, sustir, syster, systir, systyr, swuster, sussterr, zoster (Middle English)
    - sister, syster (Scots)
    - zister (Yola)
*swester (Proto-West Germanic)
- sweostor, swustor, swester, suoester, soester, swuster, swæstar, swestar, swystor, swystar, sweoster, swostur, swyster (Old English)
  - suster, cyster, cystyr, scyster, sister, sistir, soster, souster, sustir, syster, systir, systyr, swuster, sussterr, zoster (Middle English)
    - sister (English)
      - سِسْتَر (sistar) (Gulf Arabic)
      - シスター (shisutā) (Japanese)
      - 시스터 (siseuteo) (Korean)
*swester (Proto-West Germanic)
- swester (Old Frisian)
  - Suster (Saterland Frisian)
  - suster (West Frisian)
*swester (Proto-West Germanic)
- swester (Old Frisian)
  - ? (North Frisian)
    - süster (Bökingharde)
    - saster (Fering)
    - Söster, Söl'ring: Sester (Halunder)
    - saster (Öömrang)
*swester (Proto-West Germanic)
- swester (Old High German)
  - swëster, suster, süster (Middle High German)
    - Schwöschter (Alemannic German)
    - ? (Bavarian)
    - Sester, Söster (Central Franconian)
    - Schwesder (Hunsrik)
    - Sëschter (Luxembourgish)
    - Schweschder (Pennsylvania German)
    - syster (Vilamovian)
    - שוועסטער (shvester) (Yiddish)
*swester (Proto-West Germanic)
- swester (Old High German)
  - swëster, suster, süster (Middle High German)
    - Schwester (German)
      - Schwester (Central Franconian)
      - Schwëster (Luxembourgish)
*swester (Proto-West Germanic)
- swestar (Old Saxon)
  - süster, swester (Middle Low German)
    - Swester, Süster (Low German)
    - Sesta (Plautdietsch)
ᛊᚹᛖᛊᛏᚨᚱ (swestar) (Proto-Norse)
- systir (Old Norse)
  - systir (Faroese)
  - systir (Icelandic)
  - søster (Norwegian Bokmål)
  - syster (Norwegian Nynorsk)
ᛊᚹᛖᛊᛏᚨᚱ (swestar) (Proto-Norse)
- systir (Old Norse)
  - systær (Old Danish)
    - søster (Danish)
ᛊᚹᛖᛊᛏᚨᚱ (swestar) (Proto-Norse)
- systir (Old Norse)
  - systir (Old Gutnish)
    - systar (Gutnish)
ᛊᚹᛖᛊᛏᚨᚱ (swestar) (Proto-Norse)
- systir (Old Norse)
  - systir (Old Swedish)
    - syster (Swedish)

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