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uncle-in-law. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
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English
Etymology
From uncle + -in-law.
Noun
uncle-in-law (plural uncles-in-law)
- (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, page 86: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]
- (nonstandard) The uncle of one's spouse.
- 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.
- The uncle of one's wife.
Usage notes
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.
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