uncle

The brother or brother-in-law of one’s parent.

Interjection

  1. A cry used to indicate surrender.

Origin

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éwh₂os Latin avunculus Old French unclebor. Middle English uncle English uncle From Middle English uncle, borrowed from Anglo-Norman uncle and Old French oncle, from Vulgar Latin *aunclum, from Latin avunculus (“maternal uncle”, literally “little grandfather”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂euh₂-n-tlo- (“little grandfather”), a dialectal diminutive of *h₂éwh₂ō (“grandfather, adult male relative other than one’s father”) (whence also Latin avus (“grandfather”)). Displaced native Middle English em (“uncle”) from Old English ēam (“maternal uncle”), containing the same Proto-Indo-European root, and Old English fædera (“paternal uncle”). Compare Saterland Frisian Unkel (“uncle”), Dutch nonkel (“uncle”), German Low German Unkel (“uncle”), German Onkel (“uncle”), Danish onkel (“uncle”). More at eam and eame.

Derived

cry uncle say uncle

Noun

  1. The brother or brother-in-law of one’s parent.
    • And it was while all were passionately intent upon the pleasing and snake-like progress of their uncle that a young girl in furs, ascending the stairs two at a time, peeped perfunctorily into the nursery as she passed...
  2. The male cousin of one’s parent.
  3. Used as a fictive kinship title for a close male friend of one's parent or parents.
  4. Used as a title for the male companion to one's (usually unmarried) parent.
  5. A source of advice, encouragement, or help.
  6. A pawnbroker.
    • December 1843, William Makepeace Thackeray, "Grant in Paris" (review), in Fraser's Magazine A chain hangs out of the pocket of his velvet waistcoat , by which we may conclude that he has a watch , though we have known...
  7. An affectionate term for a man of an older generation than oneself, especially a friend of one's parents, by means of fictive kin.
  8. An older African-American male.
    • Plain old uncle as he [Socrates] was, with his great ears, — an immense talker. - 1850, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Representative Men:
  9. Any middle-aged or elderly man older than the speaker and/or listener.

Forms

uncles

Synonyms

eam eme nuncle uncleji uncley unclie uncly

Antonyms

aunt niece nephew boy aunty

Hypernyms

auncle pibling

Hyponyms

paternal uncle maternal uncle bruncle co-uncle cousin-uncle double uncle granduncle great-granduncle great-uncle guncle half-uncle maternal half-uncle paternal half-uncle step-uncle uncle-in-law

Related

avuncular uncular avunculate avunculicide avunculism avunculocal

Derived

agony uncle auncle Bob is your uncle Bob's your uncle Bob's your uncle and Fanny's your aunt bruncle co-uncle cousin-uncle cry ~ holler ~ say uncle double uncle Dutch uncle everybody and his uncle everybody and their uncle everyone and his uncle everyone and their uncle funcle granduncle great-granduncle great-uncle guncle half-uncle if my aunt had balls, she'd be my uncle

Verb

  1. To address somebody by the term uncle.
  2. To act like, or as, an uncle.
    • Betelgeuse Five, where he both fathered and uncled Ford - 1979, Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:

Forms

uncles uncling uncled