sisterd-in-law

Definition

Noun (plural: sisters-in-law) - A female relative by marriage: "sister-in-law" refers to the wife of one's brother, the wife of one's spouse's brother, the sister of one's spouse, or the sister of the spouse of one's sibling. It denotes a familial connection through marriage rather than blood.

Usage Examples

• (The wife of one's brother.)
• (The wife of one's spouse's brother.)
• (The sister of one's spouse.)
• (The sister of the spouse of one's sibling.)

Advanced Usage

• "to have a sister-in-law": to be related to a female through marriage.

  • I have two sisters-in-law: one from my brother and one from my wife's side. (I am related to two women through marriage.)

• "in-law" as a suffix: used to indicate a relationship by marriage, not by blood.

  • The term "sister-in-law" uses "in-law" to show the connection is through marriage.

Variants and Related Words

• Brother-in-law (n): a male relative by marriage (e.g., husband of one's sister, brother of one's spouse).
  • My brother-in-law is my sister's husband.
• Mother-in-law (n): the mother of one's spouse.
  • My mother-in-law is very kind to me.
• Father-in-law (n): the father of one's spouse.
  • My father-in-law helped us move into our new house.
• In-laws (n, plural): all relatives by marriage collectively.
  • We are spending the holidays with my in-laws. (My spouse's family.)

Synonyms

• Relative by marriage: a person connected to one through marriage, not blood.
• Affinal relative: a formal term for a relative through marriage (used in anthropology or law).

Related Idioms

• "Like a sister-in-law": used to describe a close female friend who feels like family through marriage.
  • She is like a sister-in-law to me, even though we are not related by blood. (She is as close as a relative by marriage.)

Note: The word "sister-in-law" is always hyphenated and pluralized as "sisters-in-law" (the main noun "sister" takes the plural form). It is a single lexical unit referring to one specific relationship type.