uncle

[ uhng-kuhl ]

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 ( def ).
6. a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter U.

uncle

/ ˈʌŋkəl /

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

Other Words From

• uncle·less adjective
• uncle·ship noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of uncle¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Anglo-French uncle, Old French oncle, from Latin avunculus “mother's brother,” equivalent to av(us) “mother's father” + -unculus suffix extracted from diminutives of n-stems ( homunculus )

Word History and Origins

Origin of uncle¹

C13: from Old French oncle, from Latin avunculus; related to Latin avus grandfather

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. say / cry uncle, Informal. to concede defeat:

   They ganged up on him in the schoolyard and made him say uncle.

More idioms and phrases containing uncle

see cry uncle ; Dutch uncle .

Example Sentences

When an uncle visited, they ordered her to hide under a bed, with the phone camera running.

From BBC

“I remember my aunt and uncle were still inside their home when the flood came and washed out the whole kitchen,” she says.

From BBC

His father is a famous climber, and his uncles were the first brothers to both climb all of the 8,000ers.

From NewsForKids.net

Mason's uncle, David Knight, said that his nephew was "so loving and caring".

From BBC

“He had a lot of seniors on that O-line, but he really took command and everyone listened. As an uncle, I was proud watching him.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• aunt
• cousin
• father
• folk
• mother
• niece
• sibling