Anuncle is usually defined as a malerelative who is a sibling of a parent or married to a sibling of a parent, as well as the parent of the cousins. Uncles who arerelated by birth aresecond-degree relatives. The female counterpart of an uncle is anaunt, and the reciprocal relationship is that of anephew or niece. The word comes fromLatin:avunculus, the diminutive ofavus (grandfather), and is a family relationship within an extended or immediate family.[1] A popular colloquial term in English isUnc.[2]
In some cultures and families, children may refer to the cousins of their parents as uncle (or aunt). It is also used as atitle of respect for older relatives, neighbours, acquaintances, family friends, and even total strangers in some cultures, for exampleAboriginal Australian elders. Using the term in this way is a form offictive kinship.
Any social institution where a special relationship exists between a man and his sisters' children is known as anavunculate (or avunculism or avuncularism).[3] This relationship can be formal or informal, depending on the society. Early anthropological research focused on the association between the avunculate andmatrilineal descent, while later research has expanded to consider the avunculate in general society.
Uncles by birth (brother of a parent) arerelated to their nieces and nephews on average by 25% (1750centimorgans) though this can vary considerably.[8] As half-uncles are related through half brothers, they are related by average 12.5%. Non-consanguineous uncles (male spouse of a relative) are not related by blood.
In Arabic, one's mother's brother is calledKhal خال and the mother's sister is calledKhalah خالة. On the father's side, one's father's brother is calledAmm عم and the father's sister is calledAmmah عمّة.
In Turkish, one's mother's brother is calleddayi, father's brother isamca, and aunt's husband is known asenişte. One's mother's sister is called "teyze". Father's sister is "hala". Uncle's wife is "yenge".
In some cultures, like Albanian, Slavic, or Persian, no single inclusive term describing both a person'skinship to their parental male sibling or parental male in-law exists. Instead, there are specific terms describing a person's kinship to their mother's brother (dajë inAlbanian,daiyee inPersian,wuj (diminutive:wujek) inPolish) or a person's kinship to their father's brother (xhajë in Albanian,amou in Persian,stryj (diminutive:stryjek) inPolish). An analogous differentiation exists using separate terms to describe a person's kinship to their mother's female sibling (teze in Albanian,khaleh in Persian,ciotka (diminutive:ciocia) inPolish), and a person's kinship to their father's female sibling, (hallë in Albanian,ammeh in Persian,stryjna (diminutive:stryjenka) inPolish).
Furthermore, in Persian culture the terms used to describe a person's kinship to their maternal or paternal in-laws bear clear and unambiguous descriptions of that relationship, differentiating the parental in-laws from blood-relatives. For example, there is a specific term describing a person's kinship to the spouse of their paternal uncle (i.e.zan-amou, literally 'wife-of-'amou). This clarifies that kinship is to the spouse of the person's paternal male sibling, as opposed to a blood-relationship.
In India, unambiguous names are used for various uncles such as one's father's brother chacha (or kaka). If the brother of one's father is older than one's father then he is called Tauji (or taya or bapuji). One's mother's brother is called Mama. A paternal aunt's husband is called Fufa (or Fuva) and a maternal aunt's husband is called Mausa (or Masa) in Hindi (or Gujarati).
Likewise, in neighbouringBangladesh (and Pakistan), mother's brother is also Mama (or Mamu) as well father's brother as Chacha. A paternal aunt's husband is Phupha and maternal aunt's husband is Khalu.
Due to the loving image of an old but wise and friendly uncle in many cultures the word has been used as a loving nickname for many people. InTibetan mythologyAkhu Tönpa (Uncle Tompa) is a familiar and well-beloved figure. The American national personificationUncle Sam serves as an allegorical fatherly figure to many Americans. Various children's TV hosts have useduncle as their nickname, includingWalt Disney (Uncle Walt), Bob Davidse (Nonkel Bob, literallyUncle Bob), Edwin Rutten (who hosted a children's show namedDe Show van Ome Willem [The Show of Uncle Willem]). The Dutch poet Ome Ko also useduncle as part of his pseudonym.
Rich, wise or otherwise eccentric uncles are also popular in works of fiction.
Jesse Katsopolis, in the television seriesFull House andFuller House, referred to as "Uncle Jesse" by his three nieces DJ, Stephanie, and Michelle Tanner.
Emperor Cloyd and Becky the Enchantress characters ofDisenchantment, siblings of Dagmar, maternal uncles of Bean and grandsons to the late Queen Mariabeanie.
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