mother-in-law

[muhth-er-in-law]

noun

plural

mothers-in-law 

1. the mother of one's spouse.

mother-in-law

noun

1. the mother of one's wife or husband

Word History and Origins

Origin of mother-in-law¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English moder in lawe; mother ¹ ( def. ), in ( def. ), law ¹ ( def. ); 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

His mother-in-law, whose Altadena home survived the fire, wears a mask when gardening in the backyard.

From Los Angeles Times

For months, Indonesian movie audiences have been talking about one film: Norma, the story of a seemingly blissful marriage shattered by the husband's clandestine affair with his mother-in-law.

From BBC

"There I am trying to ring my husband or my mother-in-law to come and help and thinking someone's got to answer the phone."

From BBC

This includes a recent bus journey where Sayanti heard a passenger complaining in detail about her mother-in-law.

From BBC

Parker reveals her mother-in-law wanted her son to marry a woman who also worked.

From BBC

Related Words

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