An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Schwester

by Friedrich Kluge

Schwester, f., ‘sister,’ from MidHG. swëster, OHG. swëster, f.; a common Teut. and also primit. Aryan word. Comp. Goth. swistar, OIc. syster, AS. sweostor, E. sister, Du. zuster, OSax. swëstar. The common Teut. stem swestr-, originated in Aryan swesr- (comp. Strom for the insertion of t in sr), nom. sing. swésô; comp. Sans. svasr-, nom. sing. svasâ, Lat. soror for *swesô-r, OSlov. sestra, Lith. sesů (for *swesô). The orig. meaning of the cognates, as in the case of Bruder, Aryan bhrãtõ (brãhtṛ), cannot be discovered; yet Schwäher, Schwieger, and Schwager (Aryan swekuros, swekrũ, swékrós) are similar in sound, so too OIc. swiljar, ‘husbands of two sisters,’ OSax. swiri, ‘nephew, sister's child’ (Aryan swesjo-?), &c., whose common component swe- signified ‘own, his,’ according to Sans. sva, Lat. suus; Comp. sein. For the Aryan terms of consanguinity comp. Vater, Mutter, &c.