Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “aunt” come from?

Aunt comes from Middle English aunte, from Anglo-Norman aunte, from Old French ante, from Latin amita, from Proto-Indo-European amma-.

aunt (English): The sister or sister-in-law of one’s parent; The...

Definitions

  1. The sister or sister-in-law of one’s parent; The...

Ancestry of “aunt”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishaunteaunt
2Anglo-NormanaunteLate Anglo-Norman spelling of ante
3Old Frenchantenominative singular of antain; aunt
4Latinamitapaternal aunt; father's sister
5Proto-Indo-Europeanamma-mother

Words derived from “aunt”

  • auntie
  • aunty
  • grandaunt
  • aunthood
  • antie
  • auntly
  • aunting
  • auntlike
  • stepaunt
  • auntless
  • auntyish
  • great-aunt
  • co-aunt
  • auntyji
  • step-aunt
  • auntdom
  • auntness
  • aintín
  • aint
  • antaidh
  • ʻanakē
  • anti
  • anti
Every word from Proto-Indo-European amma- →