father-in-law

American  

[fah-ther-in-law] / ˈfɑ ðər ɪnˌlɔ /

noun

plural

fathers-in-law

1. the father of one's spouse.

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father-in-law British  

noun

1. the father of one's wife or husband

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Etymology

Origin of father-in-law

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English fader in lawe; father, 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

After talking with his soon-to-be father-in-law—a sheet-metal worker—he took the union tests for plumbing, elevator construction and electrical work.

From The Wall Street Journal

“It has become increasingly difficult to meet the price points expected by American buyers,” said Agnieszka Chmielewska, whose husband and father-in-law run the company.

From The Wall Street Journal

My late father-in-law wrote a book once called “Die Broke.”

From Los Angeles Times

“There’s a bit of a personal story behind it, as it was a donation from my father-in-law. He was from Turkey.”

From Literature

“Pooh made him rich, but did not make him happy,” said Christopher Robin’s wife about her father-in-law, who became bitter that his reputation rested on less than 1% of his life’s work.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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