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Multilingual Demographic Dictionary, second unified edition, English volume

Half-sister

Multilingual Demographic Dictionary, second unified edition, English vol.
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Half-sister  (HALF-SISTER)


Parents and their children are sometimes referred to as the biological family 1, or nuclear family 1 . Brothers 2 and sisters 3, without distinction of sex are called sibs 4 or siblings 4 . Siblings with only one parent in common are called half-brothers 5 or half-sisters 6. Extended families 7 are larger family units generally composed of combinations of nuclear families. The vertically extended family 8★ consists of three or more generations living in the same household or very close to each other. The horizontally extended family 9★ involves siblings with their spouses and their children living together. The vertically extended family can generate special types such as the stem family 10★ in which only one of the children (the heir) continues to reside with the parents after marriage, together with the heir's spouse and their own children.

  • 1. The term simple family and elementary family are frequent synonyms for the terms biological or nuclear family. In a restricted sense, such as in fertility analyses, the term biological family may refer to parents and their own children, excluding adopted children.
  • 7. The terms composite family and joint family are frequent synonyms for the term extended family. In the most general sense of the term, an extended family may refer to all members of a kinship group.

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