mother-in-law
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mother-in-law
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English moder in lawe; see origin at 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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The family said Mrs Griffiths "was a much loved mum, sister, mother in law, aunt and friend. Nanny Joyce, was also a much adored and committed grandmother to her eight grandchildren".
From BBC • Jul. 7, 2023
“Wife and mother in law trapped” read one.
From Washington Post • Apr. 20, 2023
The entire Baquet family - Eddie, Myrtle, his wife, his mother in law, his five boys including Wayne - would live in the back of the bar.
From Washington Times • Mar. 21, 2021
"My mother in law Kris Jenner ... makes the best music playlist," West, 43, tweeted on Tuesday.
From Fox News • Jan. 6, 2021
How tender and beautiful the seeming relation to a father in law, more fortunate than the mother in law in our time.
From The Woman's Bible by Stanton, Elizabeth Cady
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.
