sibling
//ˈsɪb.lɪŋ//
Forms
- Plural
- siblings
Definitions
1.A person who shares a parent; one's brother or sister who one shares a parent with.
- None of my siblings are married yet.
2.A node in a data structure that shares its parent with another node.
3.The most closely related species, or one of several most closely related species when none can be determined to be more closely related.
- Bush suggested that this difference might represent a case of chromosomal polymorphism or, more likely, sibling species.
Frequency
Overall
Rare· #4533
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Rare
- General reading & writing
- Rare
- Academic
- Rare
- Literature
- Rare
Etymology
First use appears c.
1903, a modern revival of Old English sibling (“relative, a relation, kinsman”), equivalent to sib + -ling.
Compare Middle English siblynges pl, sib, sibbe (“relative; kinsman”), German Sippe.