English Explanatory Dictionary

aunt

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The sister or sister-in-law of one’s parent.
  2. The female cousin or cousin-in-law of one’s parent.
  3. A woman of an older generation than oneself, especially a friend of one's parents, by means of fictive kin.
  4. Any elderly woman.
  5. A procuress or bawd.

Pronunciation

änt /ɑːnt/ en-us-aunt-2.ogg ănt /ænt/ en-us-aunt.ogg /ant/ [änt] ônt /ɔnt/ ŭnt /ʌnt/ ānt /eɪnt/

Word forms

aunt aunts

Etymology

From Middle English aunte, from Anglo-Norman aunte, from Old French ante, from Latin amita (“father's sister”). Displaced native Middle English modrie (“aunt”) (from Old English mōdriġe (“maternal aunt”); compare Old English faþu, faþe (“paternal aunt”)). The digraph ⟨au⟩ representing /æ ~ ɑː/ instead of the expected /ɔː/ is irregular, and has not been conclusively explained (compare launch, which contains /ɑː/ in some UK dialects).

Synonyms

auntie aunty auntyji naunt

Antonyms

uncle niece nephew

Related words

tante materteral

Derived words

agony aunt agony auntie agony aunty auntcest auntdom Aunt Edna Aunt Emma Aunt Flo aunt fucker aunthood aunticide Auntie aunty Auntie Beeb aunting aunt-in-law auntish Aunt Jane Aunt Jemima auntless auntlike auntly Aunt Minnie aunt nell auntness Aunt Sally auntship Aunt Thomasina auntyish auntyji Bob's your uncle and Fanny's your aunt co-aunt cousin-aunt double aunt grandaunt great-aunt great-grandaunt half aunt if my aunt had balls, she'd be my uncle if my uncle had tits, he'd be my aunt kopi auntie kopi aunty maiden-auntish maiden-auntishness maternal aunt maternal half aunt mine aunt my aunt my aunt Fanny my giddy aunt my sainted aunt naunt paternal aunt paternal half aunt please excuse my dear Aunt Sally second aunt stepaunt step-aunt summon auntie uncle or aunt
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