daughter-in-law

[ daw-ter-in-law ]

noun

, plural daugh·ters-in-law.

1. the wife of one's child.

daughter-in-law

noun

1. the wife of one's son

Word History and Origins

Origin of daughter-in-law¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English doughter in lawe; daughter, in, law ¹; from Middle English in-lawe “in law,” i.e., “a person within the regulation and protection of the law,” based on the prohibition by Roman civil law and, later, Christian canon law, of marriages within four degrees of consanguinity, i.e., up to and including first cousins

Example Sentences

"Our family has faced our fair share of death threats... none of that prepares you as a daughter-in-law to watch in real time someone try to kill a person you love," she said.

From BBC

Mrs Butler said she only recently heard of the production through her daughter-in-law who works at the theatre.

From BBC

"All my friends, all of our family marvel at him," says the daughter-in-law of 105-year-old war hero Tony Johnson.

From BBC

Houston, a two-time Grammy Award winning singer, died in her New Jersey home while in hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease, her daughter-in-law Pat Houston said.

From BBC

“It saddens my heart to announce the passing of my beloved Queen Cissy Houston today! Please keep the Houston family in your prayers,” her daughter-in-law Pat Houston wrote Monday on Instagram.

From Los Angeles Times