tēvocis

Latvian

Alternative forms

• (dialectal term) tēvucis

Etymology

From tēvs (“father”), with an extra element -oc (, maybe from *ōk); cf. Lithuanian tėvõkas (“older man; grandfather”), tėvùkas (“daddy; grandfather”). First attested in Kurzeme in the 18th century, this word has since then spread to other areas and entered the standard language.

Pronunciation

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Noun

tēvocis m (2nd declension, feminine form: tante)

1. uncle (father's or mother's brother)

   mazais zēns kopā ar māti atbrauca no Rīgas pie lauku tēvoča ― the little boy, together with his mother, arrived from Riga at (his) country(side) uncle's (house, farm)

   kad piedzimst bērns, viņa tēvocis pa mātes līniju iestāda mājas priekšā vairākus mango kokus ― when a (new) child is born, his maternal uncle plants a number of mango trees in front of the house

2. uncle (a grown man, in relation to a child, even if not the child's real uncle)

   “es te stāvu no pusseptiņiem”, uztraucas kāds tēvocis ― “I have been standing here since half past six,” some uncle complained

Declension

Synonyms

• onkulis
• mātesbrālis
• tēvabrālis

References