— sisterless , adj. — sisterlike , adj.
/sis"teuhr/ , n.
1. a female offspring having both parents in common with another offspring; female sibling.
2. Also called half sister . a female offspring having only one parent in common with another offspring.
3. stepsister.
4. a female friend or protector regarded as a sister.
5. a thing regarded as feminine and associated as if by kinship with something else: The ships are sisters.
6. a female fellow member, as of a church.
7. a female member of a religious community that observes the simple vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
8. Brit. a nurse in charge of a hospital ward; head nurse.
9. a fellow black woman.
10. a woman who supports, promotes, or participates in feminism.
11. Informal. a form of address used to a woman or girl, esp. jocularly or contemptuously: Listen, sister, you've had enough.
adj.
12. being or considered a sister; related by or as if by sisterhood: sister ships.
13. having a close relationship with another because of shared interests, problems, or the like: We correspond with school children in our sister city.
14. Biochem. being one of an identical pair.
[ bef. 900; ME (n.) systir; c. OE sweoster, D zuster, G Schwester, Goth swistar; akin to Serbo-Croatian sèstra, Lith sesuõ, L soror ( swesor ), OIr siur, Welsh chwaer, Skt svasar sister, Gk éor daughter, niece ]