aunt

American  

[ant, ahnt] / ænt, ɑnt /

noun

1. the sister of one's father or mother.

2. the wife of one's uncle.

3. Chiefly New England and South Midland U.S. (used as a term of respectful address to an older woman who is not related to the speaker.)

4. Slang. an aging gay man.

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aunt British  

/ ɑːnt /

noun

1. a sister of one's father or mother

2. the wife of one's uncle

3. a term of address used by children for any woman, esp for a friend of the parents

4. an exclamation of surprise or amazement

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Pronunciation

The usual vowel of aunt in the United States is the of rant except in New England and eastern Virginia, where it is commonly the “New England broad a, ” a vowel similar to French and having a quality between the of hat and the of car. The vowel itself is also used. In New England and eastern Virginia or the -like sound occur in aunt in the speech of all social groups, even where a “broad a ” is not used in words like dance and laugh. Elsewhere, the “broader” a is chiefly an educated pronunciation, fostered by the schools with only partial success (“Your relative isn't an insect, is she?”), and is sometimes regarded as an affectation. Aunt with the vowel of paint is chiefly South Midland United States and is limited to folk speech. The pronunciation of aunt was brought to America before British English developed the in such words as aunt, dance, and laugh. In American English, is most common in the areas that maintained the closest cultural ties with England after the pronunciation developed there in these words.

Other Word Forms

• auntlike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of aunt

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English aunte, from Anglo-French, equivalent to Old French ante, from Latin amita “father's sister,” old feminine past participle of amāre “to love,” i.e., “beloved”

Explanation

If you have an aunt, she would be your dad's sister or your mom's sister, or the woman who's married to your parent's sibling. Your uncle is a brother to your mom or dad. Maybe your favorite aunt, Beatrice, sends you a birthday card stuffed with money each year. First used around the 13th century, the noun aunt comes from the Latin word amita, meaning "paternal aunt." The woman who's your aunt is usually older than you are and is also the mother of your cousins. So you may remember your uncle bringing his wife Genevieve — who is also your aunt — and their children Margot and Charlie — your cousins — over for Thanksgiving dinner.

Example Sentences

It's an added bonus that she's become the favourite aunt with her nieces and nephews thanks to "Disney sending me quite a few lightsabers".

From BBC • May 7, 2026

Charles founded the nonprofit in 2013 in honor of her late aunt, Maureen “Hopey” Vaz, to raise awareness about sudden cardiac arrest and provide automated external defibrillators to schools and recreation centers that need them.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

That little one was taken early by 10-year-old Vivian Orozco, who arrived with her mother, Vanessa, and aunt Beatrice Gonzalez in a pickup truck.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

The aunt, who raised Child B as her own child and has not been named for legal reasons, said the teenager was "a mess".

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026

Almost every night after dinner, she puts her phone on speaker and talks to either my aunt or Grandma while she washes the dishes.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Related Words

• cousin
• father
• folk
• mother
• niece
• sibling
• uncle