English Explanatory Dictionary

uncle

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The brother or brother-in-law of one’s parent.
  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.
  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.
  9. Any middle-aged or elderly man older than the speaker and/or listener.
intj
  1. A cry used to indicate surrender.
verb
  1. To address somebody by the term uncle.
  2. To act like, or as, an uncle.
noun
  1. radiotelephony clear-code word for the letter U.

Pronunciation

ŭngʹkəl /ˈʌŋ.kl̩/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Back ache-uncle.wav en-us-uncle.ogg

Word forms

uncle uncles uncling uncled

Etymology

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.

Synonyms

eam eme nuncle uncley unclie uncly uncleji Uniform

Antonyms

aunt niece nephew boy aunty

Related words

avuncular uncular avunculate avunculicide avunculism avunculocal

Derived words

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 ~ 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 if my uncle had tits, he'd be my aunt I'll be a monkey's uncle maternal half-uncle maternal uncle my sainted uncle nuncle paternal half-uncle paternal uncle Robert is your uncle Robert's your uncle second uncle step-uncle taxi uncle unc unclecide uncledom Uncle Festerman unclefucker unclehood uncle-in-law Uncle Joe uncleless unclely Uncle Ned uncle or aunt Uncle Sam Uncle Scrooge uncleship Uncle Shmuel Uncle Sugar Uncle Tom Uncle Tomahawk Uncle Whiskers uncley unclie uncly unclish
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