German word

Geschwister

Pronunciation

IPA/gəˈʃvɪstɐ/

Meaning

  • nounsiblings

Example

Ich habe keine Geschwister.

I don't have any siblings.

Illustration for Geschwister (siblings)

More examples

Meine älteren Geschwister haben mir viel beigebracht.

My older siblings taught me a lot.

Core concept

One family group containing brothers and sisters, viewed together rather than as separate people.

Common phrases

  • ältere Geschwister

    older siblings

  • sich mit Geschwistern gut verstehen

    get along well with siblings

  • Streit unter Geschwistern

    quarrel among siblings

Similar words

Bruder: A single male sibling.
Schwester: A single female sibling.
Eltern: Both parents considered as one family unit.
Kinder: A group of children viewed collectively.

Definition in German

Kollektiver Begriff, der Brüder und Schwestern als Einheit bezeichnet; kein Singular.

Word origin

Geschwister comes from Old High German giswistar and Middle High German geswister, a collective formation related to Schwester.

Usage tips

  • Geschwister is grammatically plural in standard German, so Ich habe keine Geschwister uses habe and keine rather than a singular form.

Opposites

  • Einzelkindonly childnoun

Related words

  • Geschwisterrollesibling rolenoun
  • Geschwisterpaarsibling pairnoun

Word lists with this word