What does "sibling" mean?

1. (brother or sister) a person who has the same parents as you; your brother or sister. 2. (computing/data) in a computer diagram or list, a part that is on the same level as another part under the same 'parent'. 3. (biology/species) a species that is very closely related to another species.

How do you use "sibling"?

Commonly used in the plural to refer to a group of brothers and sisters together.

sibling

US //ˈsɪbɫɪŋ// UK //sˈɪblɪŋ// sib·ling

1 brother or sister (n.)
B1 Intermediate

a person who has the same parents as you; your brother or sister.

one of two or more individuals having one or both parents in common; a gender-neutral collective term for brothers and sisters.

Example

I have three siblings: two older brothers and a younger sister.

Example

Research suggests that sibling relationships play a crucial role in the development of social skills during early childhood.

Usage

Commonly used in the plural to refer to a group of brothers and sisters together.
2 computing/data (n.)
C1 Advanced Technical Computing

in a computer diagram or list, a part that is on the same level as another part under the same 'parent'.

a node in a data structure, such as a tree or graph, that shares the same immediate parent node as another.

Example

In this folder structure, the 'Images' and 'Videos' folders are siblings.

Example

The algorithm traverses the tree by visiting each sibling at the current depth before descending to the next level of the hierarchy.

Show 1 more senseShow fewer

3 biology/species (n.)
C2 Proficiency Technical Science

a species that is very closely related to another species.

one of two or more closely related species which are nearly indistinguishable morphologically but are reproductively isolated.

Example

These two types of birds are sibling species and look almost identical.

Example

The identification of sibling species often requires genetic analysis, as physical characteristics may be insufficient to differentiate them in the field.

Origin

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. The term apparently meant merely kin or relative until the 20th century when it was applied in a way that aided the study of genetics, which led to its specialized use. For example, the OED has a citation in 1902 in which sibling must be defined for those who do not know the intended meaning.