Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “sibling” come from?

Sibling comes from Old English sibling, derived from Old English sibb meaning family relation, from Proto-Germanic sibjō, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sebʰ- meaning kinship.

sibling (English): A person who shares a parent; one's brother or...

Definitions

  1. A person who shares a parent; one's brother or...

Ancestry of “sibling”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishsiblingrelative, kinsman
2Old English-lingadverbial suffix denoting direction, state or...
3Old Englishlanglong; lasting; old, ancient; advanced
4Proto-West Germaniclanglong
5Proto-Germaniclangazlong
6Proto-Indo-Europeandlongʰoslong

Words derived from “sibling”

  • stepsibling
  • siblicide
  • siblinghood
  • siblingship
  • nonsibling
  • siblinglike
  • siblingless
  • half-sibling
  • siblingly
  • pseudosibling
  • step-sibling
  • sibling fucker
  • siblinged
  • сиблинг
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dlongʰos →