(a) A female sibling, a sister or half-sister; ~ quene, a sister who is a queen; seinte petres ~, ?a personification of the White Paternoster; trusten to ~ no brother, to trust no one; (b) ~ bi the faderes (on the fader) side, a half-sister by the father; ~ bi the moderes (of the moder) side, a half-sister by the mother; ~ germain, ful ~, a full sister; grettere (more, older, oldeste) ~, an older (oldest) sister; also fig. [quot. a1425(c1384)]; yongere ~, a younger sister; (c) in cpds. & combs. denoting familial relationship (it is often difficult to distinguish between true cpds. and combs. with uninflected gen.): ~ children, a sister's progeny [cp. OE sweostor bearn]; ~ doughter [OE sweostor dohtor], the daughter of a sister, a niece; ~ hous-bonde, hous-bonde(s ~, the sister of a husband, a sister-in-law; suster(es sone [OE sweostor sunu], the son of a sister, a nephew; hous-hold ~, a sister-in-law;wifes ~, a wife's sister, sister-in-law; (d) a sister-in-law; also, a female relative, kinswoman; (e) a female sibling of an animal or a bird.

(a) Pl. The Fates; susteres thre, fatal (parcas, shape, werd) susteres; (b) one of the nine Muses; susteres nin, the Muses; (c) pl. the Pleiades; susteres seven; (d) phebus ~, the goddess Diana; also, the moon [1st quot.].

(a) A woman sharing the human condition; a fellow woman, fellow creature; also, a woman engaged in the same activity as another, a fellow, companion [quot. c1430]; (b) in direct address to an unrelated woman [sometimes difficult to distinguish from 3b.(a)]; (c) as a term of endearment for a lover, wife, etc.; ~ spouse; pleien ~ me nedeth, to have sexual intercourse; (d) a creature regarded as closely akin to a person, fellow creature; -- usu. used in affectionate address.

(a) A woman sharing the Christian faith; a female fellow Christian; ~ in god, gostli ~ in jesu crist; (b) a spiritual intimate or companion; -- often used of the relationship between Christ and a worshipper.

Fig. and in fig. contexts: something, more or less personified, that is akin to someone or something in the manner of a sister or fellow: (a) a virtue, vice, etc. regarded as akin to another of its kind; ~ germain, own sister, true sister; seven susteres, the seven virtues; (b) something regarded as closely related to oneself; one's fleshly nature [1st quot.]; (c) alch. a like or an attractive substance.

(a) A female member of a religious order, a nun; an anchoress; also, a fellow nun [quot. a1450]; a professed nun (as opposed to a novice) [quot. 1451]; also, as a title prefaced to the name of a nun [quot. 1449]; ~ right, entitlement to rights enjoyed by a female member of a religious house; susteres menouresses, nuns living under a rule prescribed by St. Francis and St. Clare, Franciscan nuns (also known as the Poor Clares); quer ~, a nun who sings the divine office in the choir; (b) a female member of a guild; haven his wif a ~, to have his wife become a guild member.

Naut. Some kind of device used to guide or secure ropes or chains on a ship, perh. a pair of thimbles attached together.

In surname and place name.