maternal uncle
Look at other dictionaries:
uncle — late 13c., from O.Fr. oncle, from L. avunculus mother s brother, lit. little grandfather, dim. of avus grandfather, from PIE root *awo grandfather, adult male relative other than one s father (Cf. Arm. hav grandfather, Lith. avynas maternal uncle … Etymology dictionary
Uncle Fester — is a member of the fictional Addams Family. He was played by Jackie Coogan (famous as Charlie Chaplin s sidekick in The Kid , 1921), in the television program, and by Christopher Lloyd in the first two movies, and by Patrick Thomas in Addams… … Wikipedia
Uncle — Un cle, n. [OE. uncle, OF. oncle, uncle, F. oncle, fr. L. avunculus a maternal uncle, dim. of avus a grandfather; akin to Lith. avynas uncle, Goth. aw? grandmother, Icel. [=a]i great grandfather.] 1. The brother of one s father or mother; also… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Uncle Sam — Uncle Un cle, n. [OE. uncle, OF. oncle, uncle, F. oncle, fr. L. avunculus a maternal uncle, dim. of avus a grandfather; akin to Lith. avynas uncle, Goth. aw? grandmother, Icel. [=a]i great grandfather.] 1. The brother of one s father or mother;… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
uncle — ► NOUN ▪ the brother of one s father or mother or the husband of one s aunt. ORIGIN Old French oncle, from Latin avunculus maternal uncle … English terms dictionary
uncle — [13] Uncle comes via Anglo Norman uncle and late Latin aunculus from Latin avunculus ‘mother’s brother, maternal uncle’ (source also of English avuncular [19]). This was a diminutive noun derived from the prehistoric base *aw ‘grandparent’, and… … The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins
uncle — [13] Uncle comes via Anglo Norman uncle and late Latin aunculus from Latin avunculus ‘mother’s brother, maternal uncle’ (source also of English avuncular [19]). This was a diminutive noun derived from the prehistoric base *aw ‘grandparent’, and… … Word origins
uncle — n. 1 a the brother of one s father or mother. b an aunt s husband. 2 colloq. a name given by children to a male family friend. 3 sl. esp. hist. a pawnbroker. Phrases and idioms: Uncle Sam colloq. the federal government or citizens of the US (will … Useful english dictionary
maternal — adjective /məˈtəːnəl,məˈtəɻnəl/ a) Of or pertaining to a mother; having the characteristics of a mother, motherly. His weakness seemed to bring out her maternal instincts. b) Related through the mother, or her side of the family. Toby is my… … Wiktionary
maternal — adj. 1 of or like a mother. 2 motherly. 3 related through the mother (maternal uncle). 4 of the mother in pregnancy and childbirth. Derivatives: maternalism n. maternalistic adj. maternally adv. Etymology: ME f. OF maternel or L maternus f. mater … Useful english dictionary
