Uncle

An uncle is a name used in an extended family. An uncle is either a brother of one of someone's parents or is the husband of a sibling of a parent. That person is the uncle's nephew (male) or niece (female). An uncle's child is a cousin.The Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine; Volumes 7-9, Vol. vii, ed. Anthon Henrik Lund (Salt Lake City, UT: The Genealogical Society of Utah, 1916), p. 179 A granduncle (also written as great-uncle or grand-uncle) is the brother of a grandparent. In some cultures an uncle is considered a close family member. Based on the old Chinese saying "the oldest son in the family is the father of the family" an uncle is often the head of a family.Sonia M. Chen, China Changing in My Eyes: People, Schools and Landscapes (Bloomington, IN: Authorhouse, 2010), p. 49 In many cultures no single word (such as uncle) describes both their parents' brothers. Instead there are words to describe a person's kinship to their mother's brother or a person's kinship to their father's brother. An uncle can also be someone not related by blood or marriage as in a term of endearment or respect. In this use uncle can also be part of a nickname such as Uncle Sam.

Avunculus
During the Middle Ages in western Europe, a maternal uncle played a particular role in the family. A young man was often closer to his maternal uncle (from  or "little grandfather") than to his own father.Thomas Montgomery, Medieval Spanish Epic (University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1998), p. 67 Tacitus noted the Franks had very strong ties between a maternal uncle and his nephew.David Herlihy, Medieval Households (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1985), p. 54 In Roman family relationships the avunculus had a responsibility to defend his nephews as well as his nieces. The maternal uncle relationship was an extension of the Roman kin system's strong brother-sister relationship.Growing Up Fatherless in Antiquity, eds. Sabine R. Hübner; David M. Ratzan (Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009), 227

Variation of terms
A maternal or paternal relative is one who is related through their mother or father, respectively. For example, a maternal uncle is the subject's mother's brother.An in-law is a relationship that is not by blood, but instead by marriage. The in-law shares the in-law relationships of the spouses relatives. For example, an uncle in-law could be the husband of the subject's Aunt.

 uncle: parent's brother.
 maternal uncle: mother's brother.
 paternal uncle: father's brother.
 half-uncle: parent's half-brother.
 double-half-brother: a person who is a half-brother of both of the subjects parents.
 granduncle (or great-uncle): grandparent's brother.
 great-granduncle (or great-great-uncle): great-grandparent's brother.
 uncle-in-law: uncle/aunt's husband.
 uncle-in-law: spouse's uncle.
 co-uncle-in-law: spouse's uncle/aunt's husband.
 stepuncle: stepparent's brother.
 stepuncle: parent's stepbrother.

Related pages
 Nephew and niece

References

Category:Family