Wiktionary

aunt-in-law

English

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Etymology

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From aunt +‎ -in-law.

Noun

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aunt-in-law (plural aunts-in-law)

  1. (nonstandard) The wife of one's uncle or aunt (parent's sibling).
    • 1871, William Lindsay, Inquiry into the Christian law, as to the relationships which bar marriage‎[1], page 86:
      Between uncle and aunt-in-law, or uncle's wife, you have a connection of affinity, and you have the same between aunt and uncle-in-law, or aunt's wife. [sic]
  2. (nonstandard) The aunt of one's spouse.
    1. The aunt of one's husband.
      • 2009 August 28, contributor, Petunia Dursley, Harry Potter Wiki
        Petunia would later become an aunt-in-law to Harry's wife Ginevra Weasley and a great-aunt to Harry and Ginny's three children; James Sirius, Albus Severus,
    2. The aunt of one's wife.

Usage notes

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Both meanings commonly used for aunt-in-law are used to define a distinction between someone who is an aunt by marriage (i.e., an in-law) and someone who is an aunt by blood (i.e., a sister of one of your parents). However both meanings are included within the standard definition of aunt, and for those who use this term, and a user may be trying to convey only one or both of the meanings given here. In general, unless there is a need for specificity, the use of aunt is to be preferred.

Hypernyms

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Translations

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