uncle-in-law - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (2024)

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From uncle +‎ -in-law.

Noun[edit]

uncle-in-law (plural uncles-in-law)

1. (nonstandard) The husband of one's uncle or aunt (parent's sibling).

   • 1871, William Lindsay, Inquiry into the Christian law, as to the relationships which bar marriage‎^[1], page 86:

     See Also

     aunt-in-law - Wiktionary, the free dictionaryclose relative Definition: 2k Samples | Law Insiderniece-in-law - Wiktionary, the free dictionaryDefinition of relative, nepotism | My Florida Legal

     Between uncle and aunt-in-law, or uncle's wife, you have a connection of affinity, and you have the same between aunt and uncle-in-law, or aunt's wife. [sic]

2. (nonstandard) The uncle of one's spouse.
   1. The uncle of one's husband.
      • 2012 August 11, anonymous, Vernon Dursley, Harry Potter Wiki

        Vernon would later become an uncle-in-law to Harry's wife, Ginny and a great-uncle to Harry and Ginny's children, James Sirius Potter, Albus Severus Potter and Lily Luna Potter.

   2. The uncle of one's wife.

Usage notes[edit]

Both meanings commonly used for uncle-in-law are used to define a distinction between someone who is an uncle by marriage (i.e., an in-law) and someone who is an uncle by blood (i.e., a brother of one of your parents). However both meanings are included within the standard definition of uncle, and for those who use this term, and a user may be trying to convey only one or both of the meanings given here. In general, unless there is a need for specificity, the use of uncle is to be preferred.

Hypernyms[edit]

• in-law

Related terms[edit]

• aunt-in-law
• nephew-in-law
• niece-in-law

Translations[edit]

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