uncle

[uhng-kuhl]

noun

1. a brother of one's father or mother.

2. an aunt's husband.

3. a familiar title or term of address for any elderly man.

4. Slang.,  a pawnbroker.

5. (initial capital letter),  Uncle Sam.

6. a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter U.

uncle

/ ˈʌŋkəl /

noun

1. a brother of one's father or mother

2. the husband of one's aunt

3. a term of address sometimes used by children for a male friend of their parents

4. slang,  a pawnbroker

Other Word Forms

• uncleless adjective
• uncleship noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of uncle¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Anglo-French uncle, Old French oncle, from Latin avunculus “mother's brother,” equivalent to av(us) “mother's father” + -unculus suffix extracted from diminutives of n-stems ( homunculus )

Word History and Origins

Origin of uncle¹

C13: from Old French oncle, from Latin avunculus; related to Latin avus grandfather

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. say / cry uncle, to concede defeat.

   They ganged up on him in the schoolyard and made him say uncle.

see cry uncle; Dutch uncle.

Example Sentences

In return, she agrees that Bird Island will support two Tongan princes in their battle against their uncle, who has seized power.

From Los Angeles Times

His family’s name was clouded during his time in Sacramento when two of his uncles served prison time in connection with a bribery scheme, but Calderon was not accused of wrongdoing.

From Los Angeles Times

"A number of generations of my family worked in the steelworks, my uncles and my grandfather," he added.

From BBC

But in December 2006 it became headline news when Michael Lyons, 21, was shot dead after two masked gunmen walked into his uncle's MoT garage.

From BBC

Much of Mrs Posner's family were murdered in the Holocaust, including her parents, uncles, aunts and cousins - only she and one of her aunts survived.

From BBC

Related Words

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