# half sister

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈhæf sɪstɚ/

## Definitions
1. A female sibling sharing a single parent.
2. A female half sibling (same dam, different sires).

## Etymology
From Middle English halfesister, half-suster, half sister, equivalent to half- + sister. Compare Dutch halfzus, halfzuster (“half-sister”), German Halbschwester (“half-sister”), Swedish halvsyster (“half-sister”), Icelandic hálfsystir (“half-sister”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/half-sister