DictionaryAI

sibling

noun
USSIB-ling/ˈsɪb.lɪŋ/

Pluralsiblings

3 meanings of sibling

Practice

  1. 1
    brother or sisternouncountable
    A person who shares at least one parent with you; a brother or sister.

    Each sibling inherited an equal share of the family estate.

    Twins are siblings born within minutes of each other.

    Note

    A revival rather than an unbroken inheritance: the word reappears around 1903, rebuilt from Old English sibling, sib plus -ling, which meant any relative or kinsman. The old word covered the whole kin group. The modern one is narrow, and its value is neutrality: it names brothers and sisters alike without choosing between them. The same root shows in Middle English sib and German Sippe.

    Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 5 facts

    • Sibling was revived around 1903 rather than remaining continuously in use. en.wikipedia.org
    • The revived word comes from Old English sibling, formed from sib plus -ling. en.wiktionary.org
    • The Old English word denoted relatives generally, rather than specifically brothers and sisters. en.wiktionary.org
    • Middle English sib shares the Old English root. en.wiktionary.org
    • German Sippe is cognate with English sib. en.wiktionary.org
  2. 2
    related speciesnouncountable
    The species most closely related to a given one, or any of several equally close species when no single closest relative can be singled out.

    Using DNA, researchers learned that the two birds are sibling species that split apart quite recently.

    Because sibling species often look almost identical, experts may need DNA tests to tell them apart.

    UsageMost often in the fixed phrase sibling species.

    Note

    Vaníčková and colleagues (2015) report Bush's suggestion that a difference might reflect chromosomal polymorphism or, more likely, sibling species. On its own it serves as group shorthand. Hutter and colleagues (1990) call D. simulans, D. mauritiana and D. sechellia "the siblings" whenever they need not tell the three apart.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

    • Vaníčková and colleagues published the cited paper in 2015. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
    • Their paper reports Bush's suggestion that the difference might represent chromosomal polymorphism or, more likely, sibling species. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
    • Hutter and colleagues published the cited paper in 1990. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
    • Hutter and colleagues call the three named species 'the siblings' when they need not distinguish among them. en.wiktionary.org

Less common meaning

  1. 3
    noun
    Within a data structure, a node that shares its immediate parent node with one or more other nodes.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of sibling apart? Answer 4 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

First used around 1903, "sibling" is a modern revival of the Old English "sibling" ("relative, kinsman"), formed from "sib" plus "-ling" and related to German "Sippe." It originally meant simply a kin or relative, but in the 20th century it took on its specialized meaning through the study of genetics.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 5 facts

  • The modern revival dates to around 1903. en.wikipedia.org
  • Sibling revives an Old English word meaning relative or kinsman. en.wiktionary.org
  • The word is formed from sib plus -ling. en.wiktionary.org
  • The word is etymologically related to German Sippe through its base sib. en.wiktionary.org
  • The original general meaning was kin or relative; its specialized meaning developed through genetics in the twentieth century. en.wiktionary.org