aunt

Meaning

1. The sister or sister-in-law of one’s parent.
2. The female cousin or cousin-in-law of one’s parent.
3. (endearing) A woman of an older generation than oneself, especially a friend of one's parents, by means of fictive kin.
4. (obsolete) Any elderly woman.
5. (obsolete) A procuress or bawd.

Synonyms

father’s sister

aunty

mother

👩‍🍼

auntie

uncle

mother-in-law

mother’s sister

mother’s younger sister

paternal aunt

paternal

uncle’s wife

maternal aunt

mother’s elder sister

sister

👩‍👧

lady

older woman

grandaunt

naunt

great-aunt

mom

👩‍🍼

nephew

niece

stepmother

theta

Madam

maternal uncle’s wife

tatee

mother’s brother’s wife

Translations

tante

zia

Tante

tía

tante

tia

tia

θεία

amita

matertera

teyze

tatie

hala

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ɑːnt/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: aunte

Cognate with Middle English: modrie

Cognate with Old English: mōdriġe

Cognate with Old English:

In summary

From Middle English aunte, from Anglo-Norman aunte, from Old French ante, from Latin amita (“father's sister”). Displaced native Middle English modrie (“aunt”) (from Old English mōdriġe (“maternal aunt”); compare Old English faþu, faþe (“paternal aunt”)). The digraph ⟨au⟩ representing /æ ~ ɑː/ instead of the expected /ɔː/ is irregular, and has not been conclusively explained (compare launch, which contains /ɑː/ in some UK dialects).

Sentences

" Arsenic And Aunt May " was also released in the " Heroes " box set .