sistren en · NOUN
Etymology
From Middle English sustren, plural of suster influenced by Old Norse systirin, plural of systir; the Old English plurals (of sweostor) were ġesweostor, ġesweostra, and ġesweostru. Analysable as sister + -en (plural ending).
Meanings
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(archaic, form-of, plural) plural of sister
form of sister
2003 April 16 (airdate). Angel (TV series), episode "The Magic Bullet" LORNE: Blessings and moon pies, brethren and sistren!
Among my brethren and sistren in incubation I count the folks working at places like idealab, betaworks, alleycorp, as well as certain current and former university venture lab specialists I hold in high esteem.
2011 February 17, Dave Lerner, “I Am Incubator”, in Huffington Post, retrieved 14 Mar 2012:I see many of the brethren and the sistren are in the same place I was the other night, when Tatyana commented on my gloom.
2010 April 26, “The Calm Before the Storms”, in Neo-Neocom, retrieved 14 Mar 2012:My wyfe to have my dwelling house during her widowhood, that is to say, the hall, the parlor, and the small seller: to my sistren Catheryn and Ellen Tyrry their grinding in my myll during their lives, paying noo toll nor multhe money.
1570 March 13, Will of David Tyrry Fitz Edmonde:
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(figuratively, plural, plural-only) The (female) body of members, especially of a sorority or religious order.
[…] teachers, parents, and above all his classmates the seething masses of dutiful zombies and sistren of the Evervirgin Sorority.
1997, Enrico Brizzi, Jack Frusciante Has Left the Band:
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(Rastafari) A close female friend, family member, or comrade.
Come out of the dark and come into the light, sistren.
2014, Marlon James, A Brief History of Seven Killings, Oneworld Publications (2015), page 157:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| sistern | alternative | lexicographic | |
| sistrens | Number=Plur | lexicographic |