co-brother-in-law

English

Etymology

• co- +‎ brother-in-law

Noun

co-brother-in-law (plural co-brothers-in-law)

1. (uncommon) One's wife's sister's husband; or more generally one's spouse's brother-in-law, the brother of one spouse in relation to the siblings of the other spouse.
   1. (uncommon, in the plural) Men who marry sisters.
   • 2008, Daniel Bornstein & David Peterson editor, Florence and Beyond: Culture, Society and Politics in Renaissance Italy, page 350:

     Knowing that he would be susceptible to the arguments of his persuasive co-brother-in-law Antonio de' Medici, Saminiato tried to avoid his company.

2. (uncommon) One's brother-in-law or sister-in-law's brother; that is, one's sibling's spouse's brother (one's sister's husband's brother or one's brother's wife's brother).
   1. (in the plural) Men whose brother and sister are married to each other.

Usage notes

• The term is generally used in translation, or in countries such as India (Andhra Pradesh) where the local language makes the distinction. In common speech in traditionally English-speaking countries, brother-in-law may be used.
• The primary usage is for one's wife's sister's husband.

Synonyms

• co-brother (Karnataka, Tamil Nadu)
• (secondary sense): co-uncle (in relation to a common niece or nephew)

Coordinate terms

• co-sibling-in-law
• co-sister-in-law

Related terms

• co-in-law
• co-father-in-law
• co-husband

Translations

Languages which have words for this relationship which are distinct from the word for brother-in-law. Not all are attested to have the second meaning above, though this may sometimes be an oversight.

one's spouse's brother-in-law

• Armenian: քենակալ (k’enakal) (wife's sister's husband); (less precisely) փեսա (p’esa) (husband of any close relative, including one's sister or sister-in-law)
• Chinese: 襟兄 (jīnxiōng) (wife's sister's husband, who is older than oneself); 襟弟 (jīndì) (wife's sister's husband, who is younger than oneself)
• Esperanto: kunbofrato
• French: co-beau-frère; (general use) beau-frère (brother-in-law)
• German: (rare) Schwippschwager (de), Schwager (de) m (brother in law)
• Icelandic: svili (is)
• Inupiak: aŋayunġuq (spouse of elder sibling), nukaunġuq (spouse of younger sibling)
• Italian: concognato
• Korean: 동서 (同壻) (dongseo) (with siblings of the same sex: a man's wife's sister's husband, or a woman's husband's brother's wife, but not cheonambu a man's wife's brother's wife)

• Malay: biras (co-sibling-in-law)
• Nahuatl: chahuatetl
• Portuguese: concunhado
• Russian: свояк (svoják) (antiquated usage), (normal use) зять (zjat’) (brother/son-in-law)
• Serbian: пашеног, pašènog; пашaнац, pašánac
• Spanish: concuñado (es)
• Tagalog: bilas (co-sibling-in-law)
• Turkish: bacanak (wife's sister's husband)