A Family of Family Words
| Modern English |
Old English |
Latin |
Greek |
Sanskrit |
| mother |
modor |
mater, matris, f |
 |
matr |
| father |
fæder |
pater, patris, m |
 |
pitr |
| sister |
sweostor |
soror, sororis, f |
 |
svasr |
| brother |
broþor |
frater, fratris, m |
 (1) |
bhratr |
| daughter |
dohtor |
filia, -ae, f |
 |
duhitr |
| son |
sunu |
filius, -i, m |
 (2) |
sunu |
| daughter-in-law |
snoru |
nurus, -us, f |
 |
snusha |
| son-in-law |
(3) |
gener, generis, m |
 |
jamatr |
Notes:
1. Greek also has the word 
but
it means a member of a "phratry," which was more a political unit than
a family unit.
2. This is not the most common Greek word for "son," but it is
cognate with the English and Sanskrit words.
3. It appears that the word for son-in-law does not have a cognate
in Old English, or, if it ever did, the word is lost.
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