Forum Shorthand

SIL

Also called sil, SILs, sister-in-law, sisters-in-law

SIL stands for sister-in-law, and parents use it on either side of the family: a partner's sister, a brother's wife or the wife of a partner's brother. It belongs to the same shorthand family as MIL, FIL and BIL.

How it's said

  • My DP messaged his mum and asked who it was and she said it was his sister (SIL).
  • Thankfully me and my SIL get along extremely well, we're very similar in mindset and I liked her from the minute BIL introduced us.
  • ...I would take DS for a drive (sometimes with the windows down!) or have dinner with my SIL, or just slowly walk around the complex.

Who says it

  • Parents on forums

Where it came from

Sister-in-law comes from Middle English suster-in-lawe. The -in-law ending marks a relative by marriage, which the law calls affinity, rather than by blood. Cambridge Dictionary counts a brother's or sister's wife, a husband's or wife's sister and the wife of a spouse's sibling as sisters-in-law.

Guides to parenting forum shorthand list SIL beside MIL, FIL and BIL. Wiktionary also records it for sibling-in-law.