uncle

English

Etymology

From Middle English uncle, borrowed from Anglo-Norman uncle, from Old French oncle, from Vulgar Latin *aunclum, from Latin avunculus (“mother’s brother”; literally, “little grandfather”; compare avus (“grandfather”)), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂euh₂-n-tlo (“little grandfather”), diminutive of *h₂éwh₂os (“grandfather, adult male relative other than one’s father”). Displaced native Middle English eam, eme (“maternal uncle”) (from Old English ēam (“maternal uncle”), containing the same (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Proto-Indo-European root, and Old English fædera (“paternal uncle”). Compare Saterland Frisian Unkel (“uncle”), Dutch nonkel (“uncle”), German Low German Unkel (“uncle”), German Onkel (“uncle”), Danish onkel (“uncle”). More at eam/eme.

Pronunciation

• enPR: ŭngʹkəl, IPA^(key): /ˈʌŋ.kəl/
• , IPA^(key): /ˈʌŋ.kəl/, [ˈʌŋ.kəɫ], [ˈʌŋ.kɫ̩]
• , IPA^(key): /ˈʌŋ.kəl/, IPA^(key): [ˈɐŋ.kəɫ], [ˈɐŋ.kɫ̩]

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌŋkəl

Noun

uncle (plural uncles)

1. The brother or brother-in-law of one’s parent.
   • Template:RQ:Chmbrs YngrSt

     And it was while all were passionately intent upon the pleasing and snake-like progress of their uncle that a young girl in furs, ascending the stairs two at a time, peeped perfunctorily into the nursery as she passed the hallway—and halted amazed.

2. (endearing) The male cousin of one’s parent.
3. (euphemistic) A companion to one's (usually unmarried) mother.
4. (figuratively) A source of advice, encouragement, or help.
5. (British, informal, dated) A pawnbroker.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Thackeray to this entry?)

6. (especially in the Southern US, parts of UK and Asia) An affectionate term for a man of an older generation than oneself, especially a friend of one's parents, by means of fictive kin.
7. (Southern US, slang, archaic) An older male African-American person.
   • Ralph Waldo Emerson

     Plain old uncle as he [Socrates] was, with his great ears, — an immense talker.

Synonyms

• (dialectal, Scotland): eam, eme

Antonyms

• (with regard to gender): aunt
• (with regard to ancestry): niece, nephew
• (African-American): boy
• (India): aunty

Hyponyms

• (brother of someone’s father): paternal uncle
• (brother of someone’s mother): maternal uncle
• (uncle gained by marriage): uncle-in-law

Derived terms

• agony uncle
• Bob's your uncle
• bruncle
• cry uncle
• double uncle
• Dutch uncle
• grand-uncle
• great-uncle, great uncle
• guncle
• holler uncle
• I'll be a monkey's uncle
• nuncle
• say uncle
• Uncle Sam
• Uncle Scrooge
• Uncle Tom

 

Related terms

• avuncular

Translations

brother (or brother-in-law) of someone’s parent

• Albanian: ungji, xhaxha (sq), dajë (sq)
• Amharic: ኣጎት (ʾagot)
• Arabic: (paternal) عَمّ (ar) m (ʕamm), (maternal) خَال (ar) m (ḵāl)
• Armenian: հորեղբայր (hy) (horeġbayr) (paternal), քեռի (hy) (kʻeṙi) (maternal)
• Assamese: খুৰা (khura) (father's younger brother), বৰদেউতা (borodeuta) (father's elder brother), মোমাই (mümai) (mother's brother)
• Asturian: tíu (ast) m
• Azerbaijani: əmi (az), dayı (az)
• Bakhtiari: (paternal) کاکا (kâkâ)
• Baluchi: ناکو (náko), ماما (mámá), کاکہ (káka)
• Basque: osaba (eu)
• Belarusian: дзя́дзька m (dzjádzʹka), дзя́дзя m (dzjádzja)
• Breton: eontr (br) m
• Bulgarian: (paternal) чи́чо (bg) m (číčo), стри́ко m (stríko) (regional, non-standard), (maternal) ву́йчо (bg) m (vújčo), калеко (bg) m (kaleko) (regional), свако (bg) m (svako) (last two may also apply to the husband of the paternal aunt)
• Burmese: ဘကြီး (my) (bha.kri:) (elder brother of one's father), ဘထွေး (my) (bha.htwe:) (younger brother of one's father)
• Catalan: oncle (ca) m, tio (ca) m
• Central Dusun: mamai
• Chechen: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 伯伯 (baak³ baak³) (father's elder brother), 叔叔 (suk¹ suk¹) (father's younger brother), 姑丈 (yue) (gu¹ zoeng^6-2) (father's brother-in-law), 舅父 (kau³ fu^6-2) (mother's brother), 姨丈 (ji⁴ zoeng^6-2) (mother's brother-in-law)

  Hakka: 阿伯 (â-pak) (father's elder brother), 阿叔 (â-suk) (father's younger brother), 阿舅 (â-khiû) (mother's brother), 母舅 (mû-khiû) (mother's brother), 姑丈 (kû-chhông) (father's brother-in-law), 姨丈 (yì-chhông) (mother's brother-in-law)

  Mandarin: 伯父 (zh) (bófù) (father's elder brother, formal), 伯伯 (zh) (bóbo) (father's elder brother, informal), 叔父 (zh) (shúfù) (father's younger brother, formal), 叔叔 (zh) (shúshu) (father's younger brother, informal), 姑父 (zh) (gūfù) (father's brother-in-law), 姑丈 (zh) (gūzhàng) (father's brother-in-law), 舅父 (zh) (jiùfù) (mother's brother, formal), 舅舅 (zh) (jiùjiu) (mother's brother, informal), 姨父 (zh) (yífù) (mother's brother-in-law), 姨丈 (zh) (yízhàng) (mother's brother-in-law), 姨夫 (zh) (yífū) (mother's brother-in-law)

  Min Dong: ^{(please verify)} 依伯 (yi bat) (father's older brother)

  Min Nan: 阿伯 (zh-min-nan) (a-peh) (father's elder brother), 阿叔 (zh-min-nan) (a-chek) (father's younger brother), 阿舅 (zh-min-nan) (a-kū) (mother's brother), 母舅 (bú-kū) (mother's brother), 阿丈 (zh-min-nan) (a-tiūⁿ) (parent's brother-in-law), 姑丈 (ko͘-tiūⁿ) (father's brother-in-law), 姨丈 (î-tiūⁿ) (mother's brother-in-law)

  Teochew: 阿伯 (zh-min-nan) (a1 bêh4) (father's elder brother), 阿叔 (zh-min-nan) (a1 zêg4) (father's younger brother), 阿舅 (zh-min-nan) (a1 gu6) (mother's brother), 阿丈 (zh-min-nan) (a1 diên6, a1 dion6) (parent's brother-in-law)

• Chinook Jargon: tot
• Crimean Tatar: dayı
• Czech: strýc (cs) m
• Dalmatian: naul m
• Danish: onkel (da) c, farbror (da) c (paternal), morbror (da) c (maternal)
• Dutch: oom (nl) m, (Flemish) nonkel (nl) m
• Esperanto: onklo (eo)
• Estonian: onu (et)
• Ewe: tɔgã (father's elder brother), tɔɖe (father's younger brother), wɔfa (maternal)
• Finnish: setä (fi) (paternal), setäpuoli (father's brother-in-law), eno (fi) (maternal), enopuoli (mother's brother-in-law)
• French: oncle (fr) m, tonton (fr) m (informal)
• Friulian: barbe
• Galician: tío m
• Georgian: ბიძა (ka) (biʒa), ძია (ʒia), ბიძია (biʒia)
• German: Onkel (de) m, (archaic) Oheim (de) m
• Gooniyandi: ngaboo
• Greek: θείος (el) m (theíos)

  Ancient: θεῖος m (theîos) (paternal or maternal), πάτρως m (pátrōs) (paternal), μήτρως m (mḗtrōs) (maternal)

• Gunwinggu: ngabba (paternal), ngadjadj (maternal)
• Haitian Creole: tonton, monnonk
• Hawaiian: makua kāne, ʻanakala
• Hebrew: דּוֹד (he) m (dod)
• Hindi: चाचा (hi) m (cācā) (father's younger brother), ताया (hi) m (tāyā) (father's elder brother), काका (hi) (kākā) (paternal), मामा (hi) (māmā) (maternal), अंकल (hi) m (aṅkal) (generic)
• Hungarian: nagybácsi (hu)
• Icelandic: föðurbróðir (is) m (paternal), móðurbróðir (is) m (maternal)
• Ido: onklulo (io)
• Indonesian: paman (id), om (id)
• Interlingua: oncle
• Irish: uncail m
• Italian: zio (it) m
• Japanese: (older) 伯父 (ja) (oji, hakufu) (humble), 伯父さん (ojisan) (honorific), 伯父貴 (ojiki) (younger) 叔父 (ja) (oji, shukufu) (humble), 叔父さん (ojisan) (honorific), 叔父貴 (ojiki)
• Kabyle: zizi m
• Kapampangan: bapa
• Kazakh: немере аға (nemere ağa)
• Korean: 아저씨 (ko) (ajeossi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Krisa: (father's elder brother) tani baʼ, (father's younger brother) tani pung, (maternal) wini
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: (paternal), (maternal)

  Kurmanji: (paternal) mam, ap, (maternal) xal

• Lao: ລຸງ (lung) (older)
• Latgalian: dzedzeits
• Latin: patruus (la) m (paternal), avunculus (la) m (maternal)
• Latvian: tēvocis (lv), (paternal) tēva brālis, (maternal) mātes brālis
• Lithuanian: dėdė (lt)
• Macedonian: те́тин m (tétin), чи́чко m (číčko), ву́јко m (vújko), стри́ко m (stríko)
• Malay: pakcik, bapa saudara
• Malayalam: അമ്മാവന് (ammāvaṉ), മാമന് (māmaṉ), (father's elder brother) വല്യച്ചന് (valyaccaṉ), (father's younger brother) ചെറിയച്ചന് (ceṟiyaccaṉ)
• Maori: matua kēkē
• Marathi: (mother's brother) मामा m (māmā), (father's brother) काका m (kākā)
• Maricopa: nkwii
• Melpa: apa
• Meriam: bab
• Minangkabau: mamak (min) (mother's brother)
• Mongolian: авга ах (avga ax) (older brother of father side), нагац ах (nagac ax) (older brother of mother side), авга эрэгтэй дүү (avga eregtej düü) (younger brother of father side), нагац эрэгтэй дүү (nagac eregtej düü) (younger brother of mother side)
• Montana Salish: smamáʔ
• Nama: ǁnaosab
• Navajo: adáʼí (maternal uncle, male speaker), ayáázh (maternal uncle, female speaker), abízhí (paternal uncle), azhéʼéyázhí (paternal uncle)
• Norman: aonclle m (Guernsey), oncl'ye m (Jersey)
• North Frisian: Oom c (Sylt)
• Northern Ohlone: 'et̄e
• Northern Sami: čeahci (father's younger brother), eahki (father's elder brother), eanu (mother's brother), máhka (relative's husband)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: onkel (no) m, farbror m, morbror m

  Nynorsk: please add this translation if you can

• Occitan: oncle (oc), quenque
• Old English: fædera m (paternal), ēam m (maternal)
• Old French: oncle m
• Persian: عمو (fa) ('amu), دائی (fa) (dâ'i), خالو (fa) (xâlu) (rare), افدر (fa) (afdar), اودر (fa) (owdar), کاکا (fa) (kākā), کاکو (fa) (kāku)
• Pitjantjatjara: mama maḻatja (parent’s younger brother), mama puḻka (parent’s older brother)
• Polish: stryj (pl) m pers, stryjek (pl) m pers, wuj (pl) m pers, wujek (pl) m pers
• Portuguese: tio (pt) m
• Quechua: qaka, kaka (maternal), kaku (maternal), yaya (paternal)
• Romanian: unchi (ro)
• Romansch: aug m, barba
• Russian: дя́дя (ru) m (djádja), дя́дька (ru) m (djádʹka) (may be unfriendly), дя́дюшка (ru) m (djádjuška)
• Rusyn: у́йко m (újko)
• Sardinian: tiu, ciu, tziu
• Scots: uncle, eme (maternal), mither-brither (maternal)
• Scottish Gaelic: bràthair-athar m (parental), bràthair-màthar m (maternal), uncail m (with proper name)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: (paternal) стриц m, чичa m, амиџа m (regional, non-standard), (parent's brother-in-law) тетак m, течa m, течо m, (maternal) ујак m, даиџа m (regional, non-standard)

  Roman: (paternal) stric (sh) m, čiča (sh) m, amidža (sh) m (regional, non-standard), (parent's brother-in-law) tetak (sh) m, teča (sh) m, tečo m, (maternal) ujak (sh) m, daidža (sh) m (regional, non-standard)

• Seri: (younger) aaitz
• Sicilian: ziu (scn) m, zu (scn) m
• Sinhalese: මාමා (māmā)
• Slovak: strýko
• Slovene: stric (sl) m, dundo m
• Southern Sierra Miwok: ka·ka·
• Spanish: tío (es) m
• Sundanese: amang (su), mamang
• Swedish: onkel (sv) c, farbror (sv) c (paternal), (father's brother-in-law) far (sv)s svåger (sv) c, ingift (sv) farbror (sv) c, morbror (sv) c (maternal), (mother's brother-in-law) mor (sv)s svåger (sv) c, ingift (sv) morbror (sv) c
• Tagalog: tito (tl), tiyo, tiyuhin
• Talysh: ^{(please verify)} عمو (amu) (Asalemi)
• Tamil: (mama), பெரியப்ப (periyappa) (parent’s elder brother), சிதப்ப (citappa) (parent’s younger brother)
• Thai: ลุง (th) (lung), อา (th) (aa), น้า (th) (náa)
• Tibetan: ཨ་ཞང (a zhang) (maternal uncle), ཨ་ཁུ (a khu) (paternal uncle)
• Torres Strait Creole: ankel
• Turkish: amca (tr) (paternal), dayı (tr) (maternal), enişte (tr) (in-law)
• Tuvan: аккызы (akkızı), даайы (daayı)
• Ukrainian: дя́дько m (djádʹko)
• Urdu: (father's younger brother) چچا m (cācā)
• Venetian: sio m, zhio m, barba (vec) f
• Vietnamese: bác (vi) (North, elder), chú (vi) (North, younger), cậu (vi) (South, both elder and younger)
• Volapük: hiter (vo), ziom (vo)
• Welsh: ewythr (cy), ewythr (cy) m, ewythredd (cy) m pl
• West Frisian: omme, omke m
• Yiddish: פֿעטער m (feter)
• Yámana: tanowa

See also: related paternal uncle and maternal uncle for more translations.

source of advice, encouragement, or help

• Armenian: քեռի (hy) (kʻeṙi)
• Breton: eontr da-heul m
• Czech: strýček (cs) m
• Dutch: oompje (nl) m, suikeroom (nl) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Finnish: kummisetä (fi)
• Portuguese: tio (pt) m
• Russian: дя́дя (ru) m (djádja)

UK informal: pawnbroker — see also pawnbroker

• Albanian: fajdexhi (sq)
• Danish: onkel (da) c
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Dutch: pandjesbaas m
• Russian: ростовщи́к (ru) m (rostovščík)

close male friend of the parents

• Albanian: xhaxha (sq), bacë (sq)
• Catalan: tio (ca) m
• Czech: strýček (cs) m
• Finnish: setä (fi)
• Hindi: अंकल (hi) m (aṅkal)
• Hungarian: bácsi (hu)
• Indonesian: om (id)
• Portuguese: tio (pt) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: чико m, чика m

  Roman: čiko (sh) m, čika (sh) m

• Slovak: strýko, ujo
• Sundanese: mang
• Thai: ลุง (th) (lung), อา (th) (aa), น้า (th) (náa)

form of address to a man by young people or children in some countries

• Belarusian: дзя́дзька m (dzjádzʹka)
• Burmese: ဦး (my) (u:), ကို (my) (kui) (for younger men)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 叔叔 (suk¹ suk¹)

  Mandarin: 叔叔 (zh) (shūshu)

• Georgian: ძია (ʒia)
• Greek: θείος (el) m (theíos)
• Hawaiian: ʻanakala
• Hindi: अंकल (hi) m (aṅkal)
• Indonesian: om (id)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: おじさん (oji-san)
• Korean: 아저씨 (ko) (ajeossi)
• Marathi: काका m (kākā)
• Portuguese: tio (pt) m
• Russian: дя́дя (ru) m (djádja)
• Slovak: ujo
• Sundanese: mang
• Thai: ลุง (th) (lung), ปู่ (th) (bpùu), ตา (th) (dtaa)
• Ukrainian: дя́дько m (djádʹko)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Breton: (1,2) ^{(please verify)} eontr (br) m, (3,4) ^{(please verify)} eontr da-heul (br) , ^{(please verify)} tonton m (child’s language)
• Guaraní: (2) ^{(please verify)} tuty
• Ido: ^{(please verify)} onklo (io)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Indonesian: ^{(please verify)} oom (id)
• Korean: ^{(please verify)} 아저씨 (ko) (ajeossi), ^{(please verify)} 삼촌 (ko) (samchon)
• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} unchi (ro) m
• Swahili: ^{(please verify)} baba mkubwa, (1) ^{(please verify)} mdogo (sw), (2) ^{(please verify)} mjomba (sw)
• Telugu: (mAma) ^{(please verify)} మామ (te) (māma), ^{(please verify)} పెదనాన (te) (pedanāna), ^{(please verify)} బాబాయి (te) (bābāyi)
• Tupinambá: (t-, t-) ^{(please verify)} uba (1), (2) ^{(please verify)} tutyra

Interjection

uncle

1. A cry used to indicate surrender.

Verb

1. (transitive, colloquial) To address somebody by the term uncle.
2. (intransitive, colloquial) To act like, or as, an uncle.

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “uncle”, in Online Etymology Dictionary. [1]
• "uncle" in Merriam-Webster

Anagrams

• Clune

---

Old French

Noun

uncle oblique singular, m (oblique plural uncles, nominative singular uncles, nominative plural uncle)

1. (Anglo-Norman) Alternative form of oncle
   • c. 1170, Wace, Le Roman de Rou:

     D'ambes parz out filz e peres,
     uncles, nevos, cosins e freres

     On both sides there were sons and fathers,
     Uncles, nephews, cousins and brothers

   • c. 1250, Marie de France, Chevrefeuille:

     Tristram en Wales se rala, tant que sis uncles le manda

     Tristan returned to Wales, while he waited for his uncle to call on him