# uncle

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈʌŋ.kl̩/ · frequency rank #3,342

## Definitions
1. The brother or brother-in-law of one’s parent.
2. The male cousin of one’s parent.
3. Used as a fictive kinship title for a close male friend of one's parent or parents.
4. Used as a title for the male companion to one's (usually unmarried) parent.
5. A source of advice, encouragement, or help.
6. A pawnbroker.
7. An affectionate term for a man of an older generation than oneself, especially a friend of one's parents, by means of fictive kin.
8. An older African-American male.
9. Any middle-aged or elderly man older than the speaker and/or listener.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₂éwh₂os
Latin avunculus
Old French unclebor.
Middle English uncle
English uncle
From Middle English uncle, borrowed from Anglo-Norman uncle and Old French oncle, from Vulgar Latin *aunclum, from Latin avunculus (“maternal uncle”, literally “little grandfather”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂euh₂-n-tlo- (“little grandfather”), a dialectal diminutive of *h₂éwh₂ō (“grandfather, adult male relative other than one’s father”) (whence also Latin avus (“grandfather”)). Displaced native Middle English em (“uncle”) from Old English ēam (“maternal uncle”), containing the same 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 and eame.

## Easily confused with
- **UNLV** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/uncle-vs-unlv)
- **unite** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/uncle-vs-unite)
- **undue** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/uncle-vs-undue)
- **uncut** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/uncle-vs-uncut)
- **unsee** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/uncle-vs-unsee)
- **unclear** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/uncle-vs-unclear)
- **unclean** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/uncle-vs-unclean)
- **unc** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/unc-vs-uncle)
- **UCLA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ucla-vs-uncle)
- **unable** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/unable-vs-uncle)

## Common misspellings (7)
`nucle`, `ucnle`, `unccle`, `uncel`, `unclle`, `unlce`, `unncle`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/uncle