Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “uncle” come from?

uncle (Middle English) comes from Old French uncle, from Latin avunculus, from Proto-Indo-European h₂éwh₂os — maternal grandfather; maternal uncle.

Ancestry of “uncle”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old FrenchuncleAlternative form of oncle
2Latinavunculusmaternal uncle, mother's brother; mother's...
3Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éwh₂osmaternal grandfather; maternal uncle

Words derived from “uncle”

  • uncle
  • stepuncle
  • uncleship
  • unclehood
  • uncledom
  • uncleless
  • unclely
  • co-uncle
  • step-uncle
  • uncleji
  • unclish
  • unclefucker
  • onklo
  • onklino
  • praonklino
  • geonklo
  • praonklo
  • prageonklo
  • onklo
  • preonklo
  • onklino
  • onklulo
  • अंकल
  • ʻanakala
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂éwh₂os →