daughter-in-law
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of daughter-in-law
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English doughter in lawe; see origin at 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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Stephen and Melanie were staying with Mr Cull while he recovered, but in the early hours of the morning, his daughter in law found him dead on the sofa.
From BBC • Oct. 6, 2024
A woman who identified herself as Marvin Wiener’s daughter in law declined to comment and asked the Associated Press for privacy “at this time of grief.”
From Slate • Feb. 20, 2022
Asner also was instrumental in the 2017 creation of the Ed Asner Family Center, founded by his son and his daughter in law, to help children with special needs and their families.
From Reuters • Aug. 29, 2021
“John was the love of my life and adored by our sons Jody, Jack and Tommy, daughter in law Fanny, and by our grandchildren.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2020
The motherinlaw against the daughterinlaw, and the daughter in law against the motherinlaw.
From The first New Testament printed in English by
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
