zuster

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Dutch

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Etymology

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From Middle Dutch suster, from Old Dutch swester, from Proto-Germanic *swestēr, from Proto-Indo-European *swésōr. The sense “nurse” from the fact that (before the Reformation and in Catholic areas until recently) the majority of nurses were nuns; already in Middle Dutch generalized to lay nurses.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈzʏstər/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: zus‧ter
  • Rhymes: -ʏstər

Noun

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zuster f (plural zusters, diminutive zustertje n)

  1. (somewhat formal, dated) sister (female sibling)
    Synonym: zus
  2. sister (fictive female kin member)
  3. sister (nun)
    Synonym: non
  4. (female) nurse (woman who provides care for the ill)
    Synonyms: pleegzuster, verpleegster, ziekenzuster

Usage notes

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  • (female medical nurse): Zuster generally is not used anymore as a job title in medical organisations, where verpleegkundige, verpleger or verpleegster (the latter specifically for women) are the usual titles. It remains a common term in everyday language, however.

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • Afrikaans: suster
  • Berbice Creole Dutch: sosro, sosoro
  • Skepi Creole Dutch: soster
  • Caribbean Hindustani: sester
  • Caribbean Javanese: soster, sester
  • Indonesian: suster
  • Saramaccan: soosútu

Indonesian

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Noun

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zuster (first-person possessive zusterku, second-person possessive zustermu, third-person possessive zusternya)

  1. (dated) sister
  2. (dated) nurse