mother-in-law

[ muhth-er-in-law ]
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noun,plural moth·ers-in-law.
  1. the mother of one's spouse.

Origin of mother-in-law

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English moder in lawe; see origin at mother1, in, law1; 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

Words Nearby mother-in-law

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How to use mother-in-law in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for mother-in-law

mother-in-law

nounplural mothers-in-law
  1. the mother of one's wife or husband

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012