Why Do We Say Siblings

That's very strange. I've never heard of anyone not liking the word "siblings". I think it's a cute word. Kind of like "duckling". :-)

I prefer saying "my brother . . ." or telling my girls to ask "their sister . . . ". I don't have such strong feelings against using sibling, but prefer the warmer words myself too. :)

Though when I'm aggravated with my bro I will say "What do you want sibling?" :)

I'm not sure why some people say siblings but it is just an informal way of meaning brothers and sisters. I myself don't use the word. I prefer using brothers and sisters myself. There really isn't anything bad about the word sibling. Your point of view is different and I'm glad that you posted this because I never have really thought a whole lot about it. To me it is just a word that people use that is easier for them to use say on documents as opposed to saying brothers and sisters.
D.

I am 31 and I have been married for almost 12 yrs. My husband and I have 3 boys ages 10,7, and 4.

Hi K. M
I am K. P and I am with you. I actually don't mind the sib. word just like I don't like the word spouse. I too think the word is cold. I have two sisters and love saying I have two sisters when talking to others. Just like I have four grandchildren. Don't worry about what others thnk just do like I do and say what you want and maybe others will follow.
I am a wife of 1, mother of 1daughter and 2 son's and grandmother of 2 granddaughters and 2 grandson's. I was a stay at home mom until the kids were gone then I worked for 8 years and am now retired and I love it.

Calm down K., it's just a word. I mean, I'm sure most people use brother or sister, but siblings is a word and it can't be taken out of the dictionary. I'm sorry you can't stand the word. If it annoys you that bad, you could always email all of your family and friends and ask them not to use the word siblings while they are around you. Hope it works!

K.,
I'm one of the ones who loves the word siblings! To me it's a term of endearment and much easier to say "how many siblings do you have?" vs. "How many brothers and sisters do you have?". It's a word I use often because I like it so much...I had no idea there were people out there who look at it the way you do. I just wanted to respond since you wanted to know our reasoning for liking/disliking it.

Hi, K. --

Hmmm... that's an interesting question. It's funny how a word can connote vastly different meanings to different people. I grew up in California, where we tend to shorten, nickname, and abbreviate everything. It was weird for me once I moved to Ohio to realize how few people I knew even had nicknames -- a standard back where I was from. It seemed more sterile to me to be referred to by my whole name...

Anyway, I think "siblings" is another speech short-cut, though I do agree, now that I think of it, that it seems to have a kind of clinical sound to it.

I remember being in Germany, asking my friends what the word was for "parent." The world for parents is "Eltern" and it's plural. As far as I know, that's the standard way to describe parents -- like they are inseparable. The best version of "parent" that they could give me was "Elternteil" -- which is like "Parents Part" (basically saying 'a piece of something that's supposed to be a whole);)! That says something about their culture, doesn't it?

Personally, I hate the phrase "play date" -- like it's something a professional has to schedule in. We used to call it "going over to someone's house," but the verbal short-cut's now won out.

Anyway, the Californian in me wants to abbreviate siblings to "sibs" - so it sounds more casual and fun. I refuse to say "play date," and go out of my way to work around it. So, maybe "siblings" is your new challenge to find an alternative for.

Best of luck!
H.

Hi K.. I don't mind that word, but I can't stand it when someone is talking about their child and they call them kid. Instead of saying my child, they would say my kid. It sounds so cold. I guess we all have our thing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sibling

I don't use the word myself. I say Sisters and brothers.

No need to feel so dirty!

A quick check of etymology reveals that the word 'sibling' comes from the Old English word 'sibb' (kinsman) or relative by blood. It can also mean a 'unilateral descent group'.

So, believe it or not, when people used 'sibling' in the past or continue to use 'sibling' now, they are referring to 'one of two or more individuals having one or both parents in common'. Basically, it is the same as saying brother and/or sister without the gender specification.

Personally, it doesn't bother me whether sibling, brother, or sister are used. It's not like any of them are classic derogatory remarks.

I think it's much easier than saying "brothers and sissters" every time I have to describe a family. Siblings covers it all. I fail to see how a word that is really only used for humans (you don't hear that a dog had siblings, but litter mates instead) can be bad or even a cuss word. It's just a word!

Dictionary.com says:
"brother or sister," 1903, modern revival (in anthropology) of O.E. sibling "relative, kinsman," from sibb (adj.) "kinship, relationship" (1500; surviving as sib, chiefly in Scottish), from P.Gmc. *sebjo "blood relation, relative," prop. "one's own" (cf. O.S. sibba, O.Fris., M.Du. sibbe, O.H.G. sippa, Ger. Sippe, Goth. sibja "kin, kindred")

It's shorter to say when you are talking about all of your brothers and sisters. My husband uses it be cause he's the oldest of 5, it saves time, not much but it does.

I don't use it very often, but I don't have a particular problem wiht it. Just not something that I say on a regular basis. Maybe it is because I have 5 brothers so when I talk about them, I just say "my brothers." With my kids being all girls, its pretty much the same thing with sisters. Have you had something happen that would have left a bad taste with you about this word? Just a thought.

I do not use the word myself but I think the popularity of the word stems from all the step brothers and sisters. half brothers and sisters, etc.

Much easier to say without divulging such personal family situations.

Just my thoughts!

C.

I see the word sibling/siblings as a more formal word compared to brother/sister. I don't have a preference to either word, and I use both. The term I choose depends on the setting I am speaking in. If it's casual chit chat with family/friends, then sisters (because I don't have brothers and I don't have sons) is the word of choice. If I'm speaking in front of a large group, or something more formal/professional, then I go with the word siblings.

That is very odd. I have never heard of anyone disliking the word sibling. A cuss word? Seriously? From what I understand it's just an informal word for brothers and sisters. I don't really know anyone who uses it, but I indeed don't find it offensive either.

I don't know why you think it is cold, but if you practice saying it in conversation, you'll soon get used to it. I use it mostly if I don't know whether the kids are boy or girl, but I know that there are more kids in a family.
If your going to go on a crusade to stop a word from being used, there are so many more bad ones to choose!

Sibling works great for when a woman is pregnant and not sure of the gender. The little girl that I do daycare for is expecting a 'sibling' at the end of October(sorry, not intended as a cuss to you, but just an example ;0) They are not finding out the gender, so instead of saying 'brother or sister' each time of refering to the situation to others, it makes it very easy to say 'sibling'

Hi K.,

It wasn't used so much in my home as a child because it was all sisters, so we used the beautiful word "sister."

Now in my home I have 2 girls and 1 boy. My younger girl and boy are twins. I often use the word "siblings" to group them all together and not emphasize that my boy is outnumbered by girls, or that my singleton is not any less special than the twins. At the same time, I want them to know they each have a special role in the family. When referring to "the twins" I often make an effort to use their names and not just say "Today 'the twins' did this..."

I love language, and "brother" and "sister" are absolutely beautiful words and I truly enjoy hearing my younger "son" and "daughter" (more beautiful words!) learning and using them!! However, sometimes I use the words "siblings" and "children" to group this lovely daughter and her sweet sister and brother into one family unit (often for time management in conversation!)

It took us 4yrs of infertility and miscarriages to bring these "siblings" to my older daughter's life, so sibling is very far from a cuss word!!

Believe me, watch or read the news...reach out to the community or beyond...there are worse words being used in families.

Peace,
K.

James Dobson said the term came out during the feminist movement in the 60's. I love his book Bringing Up Boys.

I use the word sibling because we come from bigger families. My dad is a family of 10 and I am the oldest of 4. It's easier than saying "My brothers, sister and I..." I just say "My siblings and I..." (We all have the same parents and they are still married, not sure if that makes a difference in how people think of the word). I don't think of it as bad or cold. I do kinda think of it more like the one lady said, kinda cute like duckling. When I'm talking about just one of them I denote "My brother, name,..." Or same with sister. Its merely a word that means a group of brothers and sisters.

K.,

It's sometimes easier to use one word -- siblings -- instead of three, brothers or sisters, especially when talking or writing in generalities.

I really like the word siblings. In fact, my husband and I call them "sibs" because between us there are so many. We don't find it cold at all.

Have you just learned about this word? It's been around forever, but maybe you're just not used to it.

I use both words depending on the situation. When I'm talking with one of the kids, I just say 'your brother and sister' or 'your sisters' or 'your brothers' depending on who I'm talking about and with whom. However, sometimes it's just easier to say the one word "siblings" when talking with other people. It's the more formal way of saying it and encompasses everybody. When you do, you don't have to say something long like "their brothers and step-brother and sisters" which just seems like a mouthful if you have step-children involved.