sweostor
/ˈswe͜os.tor/feminine
The English phrase sister is translated into Old English as sweostor. If unsure, use sweostor. It is also spelled sweoster.
Meaning: woman or girl having the same parents (noun)
Ways to say it
| Old English | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| sweostor | /ˈswe͜os.tor/ | feminine |
| sweoster | /ˈswe͜os.ter/ | feminine, alternative form |
The word refers to a woman or girl who shares the same parents as another person.
Which one should you use?
sweostor and its variant sweoster are both feminine nouns and refer to the same meaning.
How does it change in a sentence?
This is a feminine noun. The spelling sweoster is an alternative spelling of sweostor.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈsweos.tor/. The stress is on the first of two syllables.
Did you know?
- While sweostor refers to a biological sibling, Old English also used the term in religious contexts to describe a member of a female monastic community.
- The reconstructed Proto-Indo-European ancestor of sweostor is swésōr, which is the ultimate origin for the word in many other European languages.
- The variant spelling sweoster demonstrates that even in the Old English period, spelling was not entirely standardized.
Examples in context
- Min sweostor is glæd.My sister is happy.
Example conversation
Two siblings are talking in a small cottage.
- EadricEadgyth, eart þū mīn sweostor?Eadgyth, are you my sister?
- EadgythGēa, ic eom þīn sweostor.Yes, I am your sister.
- EadricIc lufie þē, sweostor.I love you, sister.
- EadgythIc eac lufie þē.I love you too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sister” translations and entries sweostor, sweoster, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries sweostor, CC BY-SA 4.0.
