three sisters

noun

The combination of maize (corn), pole beans (Phaseolus vulgaris or climbing beans, string beans, etc.), and squash (i.e. pumpkin), especially when planted together in intertwined plantings.

Similar
Orion's Belt
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Meanings

three sisters1

nounthree sisters pl (plural only)
  1. CanadaUSpluralplural onlyagricultureThe combination of maize (corn), pole beans (Phaseolus vulgaris or climbing beans, string beans, etc.), and squash (i.e. pumpkin), especially when planted together in intertwined plantings.

    The three sisters work together as companion plants in many ways. Growing wide-spreading pumpkin vine among vertically oriented corn and beans saves space.

    2012, Gail Damerow, The Perfect Pumpkin: Growing/Cooking/Carving, Storey Publishing, →ISBN, page 56
    2 more examples

    One beautiful idea relates to the corn, beans and squashes, all indigenous plants which are called three sisters as well as their life or supporters. The thought is a happy one, for they grow together, and were always important in Indian life.

    [1892, William M. Beauchamp, “Iroquois Stories”, in The Iroquois Trail, or Footprints of the Six Nations, […] , Fayetteville: H. C. Beauchamp, →LCCN, page 128

    She gave me specifics on what to plant and the layout of the garden. Traditional Native American plants, heirloom varieties only, no GMOs allowed. Use the three sisters approach for planting corn, squash and beans, ilito onions would ring the interior of the fence and sunflowers would stand tall.

    2012, Kathleen O’Dwyer, Breathing Blue: Giving my life to Spirit and Spirit to my life, AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 151
  2. obsoletepluralplural onlyIroquois mythologyThe spirits or gods of corn, beans, and squash considered collectively.

    Perhaps the most beautiful conception in the mythology of the Iroquois, is that in relation to the Three Sisters, the Spirit of Corn, the Spirit of Beans, and the Spirit of Squashes.

    1850 December 14, “The Iroquois Confederation”, in Evert A. Duyckinck, George L. Duyckinck, editors, The Literary World, volume 7, number 202, quoting Lewis H. Morgan, League of the Ho-dé-no-sau-nee, or Iroquois, New York, page 474
    1 more example

    They used to tell of three sisters who lived in the gardens, and watched over the corn, beans and squashes. We know that these vegetables live in the same soil; and the Indians said it was because the three sisters loved to be together, and never quarreled.

    1895, Dorothy Tanner, “The Things of the Garden”, in Legends from the Red Man's Forest, Chicago: A. Flanagan, page 69
  3. pluralplural onlyUsed other than figuratively or idiomatically: see three, sisters.

Three Sisters2

proper nounthe Three Sisters
  1. Synonym of Orion's Belt.

    Synonyms: Orion's Belt

Synonyms & antonyms

proper nounSynonym of Orion's Belt.

Similar
Orion's Belt
Also see
magi

Origin

A calque from an Iroquoian language, compare Mohawk áhsen nikontatenò:sen, Oneida áshʌnaɂtekutahnú·tele, and Onondaga ahsę́ naˀdegųdęhnų́·dæ·ˀ. First attested in 1850 in the context of Iroquoian mythology (see quote below). Use in reference to the plants themselves first attested in the 1890s (see also below).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

three sisters. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/three%20sisters

MLA

“three sisters.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/three%20sisters. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “three sisters,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/three%20sisters.

Source: three sisters on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.