uncle









uncle


noun

  1. a brother of one’s father or mother.
  2. an aunt’s husband.
  3. a familiar title or term of address for any elderly man.
  4. Slang. a pawnbroker.
  5. (initial capital letter) Informal. Uncle Sam.
  6. a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter U.

Idioms

  1. say/cry uncle, Informal. to concede defeat: They ganged up on him in the schoolyard and made him say uncle.

noun

  1. a brother of one’s father or mother
  2. the husband of one’s aunt
  3. a term of address sometimes used by children for a male friend of their parents
  4. slang a pawnbroker

n.late 13c., from Old French oncle, from Latin avunculus “mother’s brother,” literally “little grandfather,” diminutive of avus “grandfather,” from PIE root *awo- “grandfather, adult male relative other than one’s father” (cf. Armenian hav “grandfather,” Lithuanian avynas “maternal uncle,” Old Church Slavonic uji “uncle,” Welsh ewythr “uncle”). Replaced Old English eam (usually maternal; paternal uncle was fædera), which represents the Germanic form of the root (cf. Dutch oom, Old High German oheim “maternal uncle,” German Ohm “uncle”). Also from French are German, Danish, Swedish onkel. First record of Dutch uncle (and his blunt, stern, benevolent advice) is from 1838; Welsh uncle (1747) was the first cousin of one’s parent. To say uncle as a sign of submission in a fight is North American, attested from 1909, of uncertain signification. see cry uncle; Dutch uncle.

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