A sister is usually a female human or woman who shares one or both parents with another person. The female counterpart is also a brother. While the word in general refers to a familial relation, it can be used in a more positive way to describe non-familial relationships. A full sister, unlike a half sister, is always a first degree cousin. Her exact relationship to the parent(s) remains unknown but she will share the same surname, and may have the same parents as her siblings.
The idea of sister companies dates back to the early twentieth century. It was noted that sister companies tended to outsource jobs to one another so that there was a larger staff in any given area. This has lead to the concept of sister companies springing up all over the world and finding international use. Many countries have their own sister companies, with the largest being in Japan where the majority of the population is made up of sister firms. The largest sister firms in the United States are RCI and Hallmark.
The etymology of the word shows that it comes from the German word, schwester, which means salt. The spelling is therefore, schwester, but if you look closely at the word, you will find that it has a different meaning from its modern context. Schwester means salt and is not used to spell the word sister in modern usage. Instead it is spelled as Sissi, and sometimes Sissie.
When we look into the origin of the word itself, we see that it shares the same etymology as sister, sister, and sisterhood, and that it comes from the root words sester, sis, and soret, which mean ‘to be able to share or receive assistance.’ The etymology of the word therefore means ‘to be a helper or sharing partner.’ Interestingly, however, the etymology of sisterhood is different. It is derived from the German word, sich, meaning ‘being or Feeling female; pertaining to women.’ Because the word sisterhood is feminine, the spelling of the word changes to Sissi, which sounds close to the original spelling, but is more towards the female side of the spectrum.
The etymology of the word sisterhood is also interesting in that the root words are different but sound very similar to each other. We hear of sisterhood, but we also hear terms like fellowship, humanity, and the like. Therefore, when the word sisterhood is used today, what we are really saying is fellowship, humanity, and a helping hand. It’s a bit confusing, so I will try and make things a little clearer in this article.
When discussing the etymology of the word sisterhood in regards to the two words, sister and wife, we see that the etymology of the word sisterhood comes from a French word which was sistergegenetique, and which today is simply called sister. We also see that sister was related to the Latin word epicure, which today has been corrupted to just seance. But there is still more etymology which goes along with the idea of the word. When discussing the etymology of the word servant, one of the words used was plebeian, which today is known as sepia. The etymology of the word servant clearly shows that the word originally meant ‘servant of the master’. This would be in line with the etymology of the word sister, which is also related to the word ‘sister’.