co-sister-in-law

English

Etymology

From co- +‎ sister-in-law or co-sister +‎ -in-law.

Noun

co-sister-in-law (plural co-sisters-in-law)

1. One's spouse's sister-in-law, especially one's husband's brother's wife, one's brother's wife in relation to the spouses of his siblings; either of two (or more) women who are married to brothers, in relation to the other.
   • 1979, Paul Friedrich, editor, Language, Context, and the Imagination, page 193:

     [The Russian word] Yátrov', for the husband's brother's wife or co-sister-in-law, so diagnostic a status within the patrilocal household, has passed entirely out of the language.

   • 2006, Kalipatnam Rama Rao, translated by C.L.L. Jayaprada, Yagnam and Other Stories, page 61:

     At first the wench's second co-sister-in-law and the middle sister-in-law got into it.

2. One's brother-in-law or sister-in-law's sister; one's sibling's spouse's sister; either of two (or more) women whose siblings are married, in relation to the other.

Usage notes

Generally used in translation, or in countries such as India (Andhra Pradesh) where the local language makes the distinction. In common speech in traditionally English-speaking countries, sister-in-law may be used.

The primary usage is for one's husband's brother's wife.

Synonyms

• (Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana) co-sister
• (secondary sense): co-aunt (in relation to a common niece or nephew)

Coordinate terms

• co-sibling-in-law
• co-brother-in-law

Related terms

• co-in-law
• co-mother-in-law
• co-wife

Translations

one's husband's brother's wife

• Arabic: سِلْفَة (silfa)
• Armenian: տագերակին (hy) (tagerakin)
• Azerbaijani: elti
• Belarusian: ятро́ўка f (jatróŭka)
• Bikol Central: bilas (bcl)
• Cebuano: bilas
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 妯娌 (zh) (zhóuli)

• Greek:

  Ancient: ἐνάτηρ f (enátēr)

• Hiligaynon: bilas
• Icelandic: svilkona (is) f
• Japanese: 相嫁 (ja) (あいよめ, aiyome)
• Latin: janitrices f pl
• Miyako: やㇲ゙ (yaz)
• Persian: جاری (fa) (jâri)
• Portuguese: concunhada (pt) f
• Russian: неве́стка (ru) f (nevéstka), своя́ченица (ru) f (svojáčenica) (slightly dated)
• Sanskrit: यातृ (sa) f (yātṛ)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: јетрва f, шогорица f

  Roman: jetrva (sh) f, šogorica (sh) f

• Spanish: concuñada (es) f
• Tagalog: bilas (tl)
• Turkish: elti (tr)
• Ukrainian: ятрі́вка (uk) f (jatrívka)
• Waray-Waray: bilas
• Zazaki: cêriye

one's wife's brother's wife

• Icelandic: svilkona (is) f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: шурјакиња f, шогорица f

  Roman: šurjakinja (sh) f, šogorica (sh) f

one's brother-in-law or sister-in-law's sister

• Portuguese: concunhada (pt) f
• Spanish: concuñada (es) f

Languages which have words for this relationship which are distinct from the word for sister-in-law. Not all are attested to have the second meaning above, though this may sometimes be an oversight:

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Chinese: ^{(please verify)} 妯娌 (zh) (zhóuli) (collectively, refers to wives of brothers; addressing a single person, refers to a woman's husband's brother's wife)
• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} kunbofratino
• French: (generally use belle-sœur "sister-in-law") ^{(please verify)} co-belle-sœur
• German: ^{(please verify)} Schwippschwägerin (de), ^{(please verify)} Schwiegerschwägerin
• Inupiaq: (spouse of elder sibling) ^{(please verify)} aŋayunġuq, (spouse of younger sibling) ^{(please verify)} nukaunġuq
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} concognata
• Korean: ^{(please verify)} 동서(同壻) (ko) (dongseo) (with siblings of the same sex: a man's wife's sister's husband, or a woman's husband's brother's wife, but not cheonambu a man's wife's brother's wife)
• Malay: (co-sibling-in-law) ^{(please verify)} biras (ms)
• Persian: ^{(please verify)} جاری (fa) (jâri)
• Turkish: (husband's brother's wife) ^{(please verify)} elti (tr)
• Vietnamese: (co-sisters-in-law) ^{(please verify)} chị em cột chèo