Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/swester

This Proto-West Germanic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-West Germanic

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *swestēr.

Noun

*swester f

1. sister

Inflection

R-stem
	Singular
Nominative	*swester
Genitive	*swestur
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	*swester	*swestar
Accusative	*swestar	*swestar
Genitive	*swestur	*swestrō
Dative	*swistri	*swestrum
Instrumental	*swistri	*swestrum

Derived terms

• *swestersunu

Descendants

• Old English: sweostor, swustor; swester, suoester, soester; swuster; swæstar, swestar, swystor, swystar; sweoster, swystar, swyster
  • Middle English: suster, cyster, cystyr, scyster, sister, sistir, soster, souster, sustir, syster, systir, systyr; swuster; sussterr; zoster (some forms influenced by Old Norse)
    • English: sister
      • → Gulf Arabic: سِسْتَر (sistar, “female nurse”)
      • → Japanese: シスター (shisutā)
      • → Korean: 시스터 (siseuteo)
    • Scots: sister, syster
    • Yola: zister
• Old Frisian: swester
  • Saterland Frisian: Suster
  • West Frisian: suster
• Old Saxon: *swestar, *sustar
  • Middle Low German: süster, suster, syster, söster
    • German Low German: Süster
• Old Dutch: *swestar, *sustar
  • Middle Dutch: suster
    • Dutch: zuster
• Old High German: swester
  • Middle High German: swëster, suster, süster
    • Alemannic German: Schwöschter

      Italian Walser: schweschter

    • Bavarian:

      Cimbrian: sbestar, sbéstar, sbeistar

      Mòcheno: schbester

      Udinese: schbeschter, schbeister, sghbeistar

    • Central Franconian: Sester, Söster (obsolete)
    • German: Schwester
      • → Central Franconian: Schwester
      • → Luxembourgish: Schwëster
    • Hunsrik: Schwesder
    • Luxembourgish: Sëschter (archaic)
    • Pennsylvania German: Schweschder
    • Vilamovian: syster
    • Yiddish: שוועסטער (shvester)