Legal Definitions - sister

In a general sense, a sister refers to a female who shares at least one biological parent with another individual. This broad term encompasses various specific relationships, which are often distinguished in legal contexts to clarify lineage, inheritance rights, or other family-related matters.

• Sister (General)

  A female who has one parent or both parents in common with another person.

  • Example 1: Amelia and Sophia are both daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Chen. They are sisters because they share both biological parents.
  • Example 2: Isabella and Mia share Ms. Rodriguez as their mother, but Isabella's father is Mr. Kim, and Mia's father is Mr. Lee. They are still considered sisters because they share one biological parent (their mother).

• Consanguine Sister

  In civil law, a sister who shares the same father but has a different mother.

  • Example 1: Mr. Thompson had a daughter, Sarah, with his first wife, and later had another daughter, Emily, with his second wife. Legally, Sarah and Emily are considered consanguine sisters because they share the same father but have different mothers.
  • Example 2: For the purpose of determining succession in a historical estate where property passed through the male line, Lady Eleanor, born to Lord Blackwood and his first wife, and Lady Catherine, born to Lord Blackwood and his second wife, would be identified as consanguine sisters.

• Half Sister

  A sister who shares either the same mother or the same father, but not both.

  • Example 1: After their parents divorced, Michael's mother remarried and had a daughter, Lily, with her new husband. Lily is Michael's half sister because they share only their mother.
  • Example 2: David's father later had a daughter, Chloe, with a different partner. Chloe is David's half sister, as they share only their father.

• Sister-German

  A full sister; a daughter of both of one's parents.

  • Example 1: When filling out a legal document requiring precise family relationships, Maria listed her sibling, Elena, as her sister-german, confirming they are both biological daughters of the same mother and father.
  • Example 2: The twins, Olivia and Sophia, are sister-german because they were born to the same mother and father at the same time, sharing both biological parents.

• Stepsister

  The daughter of one's stepparent (a parent acquired through marriage, not biology).

  • Example 1: When Ms. Davis married Mr. Miller, Ms. Davis's daughter, Jessica, gained Mr. Miller's daughter, Karen, as a stepsister. They are related through their parents' marriage, not by shared biological parentage.
  • Example 2: After her father remarried, Maya moved into a new home with her new stepmother and the stepmother's daughter, Chloe. Chloe became Maya's stepsister.

• Uterine Sister

  In civil law, a sister who shares the same mother but has a different father.

  • Example 1: Under certain inheritance statutes, if a woman had a daughter, Clara, with her first husband, and then another daughter, Diana, with her second husband, Clara and Diana would be legally recognized as uterine sisters. This distinction could be crucial for tracing maternal lineage or property rights.
  • Example 2: A historical will might refer to two beneficiaries, Elizabeth and Catherine, as uterine sisters, indicating they shared the same mother but had different fathers, which could impact their claims to an estate tied to the mother's family line.