aunt
English
Etymology
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).
Pronunciation
Noun
aunt (plural aunts)
- The sister or sister-in-law of one’s parent.
1923, P.G. Wodehouse, The Inimitable Jeeves:As a rule, you see, I'm not lugged into Family Rows. On the occasions when Aunt is calling to Aunt like mastodons bellowing across primeval swamps and Uncle James's letter about Cousin Mabel's peculiar behaviour is being shot round the family circle... the clan has a tendency to ignore me.
- The female cousin or cousin-in-law of one’s parent.
- (endearing) A woman of an older generation than oneself, especially a friend of one's parents, by means of fictive kin.
- (obsolete) Any elderly woman.
- (obsolete) A procuress or bawd.
c. 1604–1606 (date written; published 1608), Thomas Middleton, “A Trick to Catch the Old One”, in A[rthur] H[enry] Bullen, editor, The Works of Thomas Middleton […] (The English Dramatists), volume II, London: John C. Nimmo […], published 1885, →OCLC, Act II, scene ii, page 267:I saw neither hope of his reclaiming, nor comfort in his being; and was it not then better bestowed upon his uncle than upon one of his aunts?—I need not say bawd, for every one knows what aunt stands for in the last translation.
Usage notes
Aunt is capitalized when it is used as a title with a name: Have you written to Aunt Jane?
Synonyms
Antonyms
Hypernyms
Hyponyms
Derived terms
Descendants
Translations
Several languages distinguish between blood aunts (one's parent's sister) and in-law aunts (one's parent's sister-in-law), some distinguish between paternal and maternal aunts, and some distinguish between one's parent's older siblings and younger siblings.
a parent's sister or sister-in-law
- Abinomn: nyebak
- Afrikaans: tante (af)
- Albanian: teze (sq), emtë (sq), hallë (sq)
- Aleut: tuutkax̂, quliigix̂
- Altai:
- Southern Altai: эје (eǰe)
- Alutor: ыссэ (əsse)
- Amharic: ኣከስት (ʾakäst)
- Arabic: (father's sister) عَمَّة (ar) f (ʕamma), (mother's sister) خَالَة (ar) f (ḵāla), (wife of father's brother) زَوْجةُ العَمّ (zawjatu l-ʕamm); (wife of mother's brother) زَوْجةُ الخال (zawjatu l-ḵāl)
- Aramaic:
- Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: (father's sister) ܥܲܡܬܵܐ f (ʿamtā), (mother's sister) ܚܵܠܬܵܐ f (ḥāltā), (wife of father's brother) ܒܲܟ݂ܬ ܥܲܡܵܐ f (baḵt ʿamā); (wife of mother's brother) ܒܲܟ݂ܬ ܚܵܠܵܐ f (baḵt ḥālā)
- Armenian: հորաքույր (hy) (horakʻuyr) (paternal), մորաքույր (hy) (morakʻuyr) (maternal), քեռակին (hy) (kʻeṙakin) (in law)
- Assamese: পেহী (pehi), জেঠাই (zethai), মাহী (mahi), খুৰী (khuri), বৰমা (boroma)
- Asturian: tía (ast) f
- Aukan: tanto, tiya
- Azerbaijani: xala (az), bibi (az)
- Bakhtiari: (paternal) کچی (keči)
- Basque: izeba (eu), izeko (eu), ttantta (northern,familiar)
- Belarusian: цётка f (cjótka), цёця f (cjócja)
- Bengali: (mother's sister) খালা (bn) (khala)/মৈ (bn) (mōi), (father's sister) ফুফী (phuphi)/ফুফু (bn) (phuphu), (wife of father's brother) চাচী (caci), (wife of mother's brother) মামী (bn) (mami), মাসী (maśi), মাসীমা (maśima), কাকিমা (kakima), কাকি (kaki), খুড়ি (bn) (khuṛi)
- Bhojpuri: काकी (kākī)
- Breton: moereb (br) f
- Bulgarian: ле́ля (bg) f (lélja)
- Burmese: ဒေါ်ကြီး (my) (dau-kri:) (elder sister of one's father or mother), ကြီးတော် (my) (kri:tau) (mother's elder sister), ဒေါ်လေး (my) (daule:) (younger sister of one's father or mother), အဒေါ် (my) (a.dau) (younger sister of one's mother), ထွေးလေး (my) (htwe:le:) (mother's younger sister), ထွေးတော် (my) (htwe:tau), အရီး (my) (a.ri:)
- Carpathian Rusyn: тю́̈тка f (tjú̈tka)
- Catalan: tia (ca) f
- Chichewa: bambo wamkazi (father's sister), mayi (mother's sister), mayi wamkulu (mother's older sister), mayi wamng'ono (mother's younger sister)
- Chinese:
- (father's sister): 姑 (zh) (gū), 姑媽 / 姑妈 (zh) (gūmā), 姑姑 (zh) (gūgu), 姑母 (zh) (gūmǔ)
- (father's elder brother's wife): 伯母 (zh) (bómǔ), 大娘 (zh) (dàniáng)
- (father's younger brother's wife): 叔母 (zh) (shúmǔ), 嬸母 / 婶母 (zh) (shěnmǔ), 婶母 (zh) (shěnmǔ), 嬸嬸 / 婶婶 (zh) (shěnshen), 婶婶 (zh) (shěnshen)
- (mother's sister): 姨 (zh) (yí), 姨媽 / 姨妈 (zh) (yímā), 阿姨 (zh) (āyí), 姨母 (zh) (yímǔ);
- (mother's brother's wife): 舅母 (zh) (jiùmǔ), 舅媽 / 舅妈 (zh) (jiùmā), 妗母 (zh) (jìnmǔ), 妗子 (zh) (jìnzi)
- Cantonese: 姑媽 / 姑妈 (yue) (gu1 maa1) (father's elder sister), 姑姐 (yue) (gu1 ze1) (father's younger sister), 伯娘 (baak3 noeng4) (father's elder brother's wife), 阿嬸 / 阿婶 (aa3 sam2) (father's younger brother's wife), 姨媽 / 姨妈 (yue) (ji4 maa1) (mother's elder sister), 阿姨 (aa3 ji4-1) (mother's younger sister), 舅母 (yue) (kau5 mou5) (mother's brother's wife)
- Mandarin:
- Chinook Jargon: kwalh, kʰwaɬ (Grand Ronde)
- Cornish: modrep
- Czech: teta (cs) f
- Danish: tante (da), faster (da) (father's sister), moster (da) (mother's sister)
- Dusun:
- Central Dusun: inai
- Dutch: tante (nl) f
- Esperanto: onklino (eo)
- Estonian: tädi (et)
- Ewe: (paternal) tasi, te, (mother's elder sister) dagã, nɔgã, (mother's younger sister) daɖia, nɔɖi
- Faroese: fastir f (paternal), mostir f (maternal)
- Finnish: täti (fi) (paternal or maternal, sometimes in-law)
- French: tante (fr) f, tatie (fr) f (informal), matante (fr) f (Quebec, informal)
- Old French: ante f, aunte f
- Frisian:
- Saterland Frisian: Möie f
- West Frisian: muoike (fy) c
- Friulian: agne f
- Galician: tía f
- Georgian: დეიდა (ka) (deida), მამიდა (ka) (mamida)
- German: Tante (de) f
- Greek: θεία (el) f (theía)
- Ancient Greek: θεία f (theía), τηθίς f (tēthís)
- Greenlandic: aja (maternal), atsa (paternal)
- Gunwinggu: berluh (paternal), karrang (mother's younger sister), morlah (mother's older sister)
- Hamer-Banna: aaká (mother's older sister), indá (mother's younger sister), mishá (father's sister)
- Hawaiian: makuahine, ʻanakē
- Hebrew: דּוֹדָה (he) f (dóda)
- Hindi: बूआ (hi) f (būā) (father's sister), मौसी (hi) f (mausī) (mother's sister), चाची (hi) f (cācī) (wife of father's younger brother), मामी (hi) f (māmī) (mother's brother's wife), ताई (hi) f (tāī) (wife of father's elder brother)
- Hungarian: nagynéni (hu)
- Icelandic: frænka (is) f
- Ido: onklino (io)
- Indonesian: bibi (id), tante (id)
- Ingrian: täti
- Irish: aintín f
- Istriot: gnagna f
- Italian: zia (it) f
- Japanese: おば (ja) (oba), (younger than one's parent): 叔母 (ja) (おば, oba), (older than one's parent): 伯母 (ja) (おば, oba)
- Jeju:
- (father's sister): 고모 (gomo)
- (mother's sister): 이모 (imo)
- (father's brothers' wives): 큰어멍 (keuneomeong) (older brother), ᄆᆞᆮ삼촌어머니 (mawtsamchoneomeoni) (older brother), 족은어멍 (jogeuneomeong) (youngest brother), 셋어멍 (seseomeong) (second brother), 말젯어멍 (maljeseomeong) (third brother of four or more)
- (mother's brother's wife): 웨숙모 (wesungmo)
- Kambaata: lankaama
- Kapampangan: dara
- Kashmiri: پۄپھ (ks) (pọph) (father's sister), پیٚچھَنؠ (ks) (pechan') (father's brother's wife), ماس (ks) (mās) (mother's sister), مامَنؠ (ks) (māman') (mother's brother's wife)
- Kazakh: апа (apa), апай (kk) (apai)
- Khoekhoe: antis
- Kis: omoigwa
- Korean:
- (father's sister): 고모(姑母) (ko) (gomo)
- (mother's sister): 이모(姨母) (ko) (imo), 이모님(姨母) (imonim) (honorific)
- (father's older brother's wife): 백모(伯母) (ko) (baengmo) (eldest brother), 백모님(伯母) (baengmonim) (eldest brother, honorific), 둘째어머니 (duljjaeeomeoni) (second (older or younger) brother), 중모(仲母) (jungmo) (second (older or younger) brother), 큰어머니 (ko) (keuneomeoni), 큰어머님 (keuneomeonim) (honorific), 큰엄마 (keuneomma) (children's speech), 큰어미 (keuneomi) (non-polite, lowering)
- (father's younger brother's wife): 숙모(叔母) (ko) (sungmo), 숙모님(叔母) (sungmonim) (honorific), 작은어머니 (ko) (jageuneomeoni), 작은어머님 (jageuneomeonim) (honorific), 작은엄마 (ko) (jageuneomma) (children's speech), 작은어미 (jageuneomi) (non-polite, lowering), 삼촌댁(三寸宅) (ko) (samchondaek) (lowering)
- (mother's brother's wife): 외숙모(外叔母) (oesungmo), 외숙모님(外叔母) (oesungmonim) (honorific), 외삼촌댁(外三寸宅) (oesamchondaek), 구모(舅母) (gumo)
- Krisa: wini (paternal), moni baʼ (mother's elder sister), moni pung (mother's younger sister)
- Kurdish:
- Central Kurdish: پوور (ckb) (pûr)
- Northern Kurdish: xaltî (ku), met (ku)
- Southern Kurdish: میمِگ (mîmig)
- Latgalian: cjoceite
- Latin: amita (la) (paternal), mātertera (la) (maternal), thia
- Latvian: tante, (paternal) tēva māsa, (maternal) mātes māsa
- Lithuanian: teta f
- Luhya: senge
- Luxembourgish: Tatta (lb) f
- Macedonian: тетка (mk) f (tetka)
- Malay:
- Brunei Malay: babu
- Jawi: امق ساودارا, مق چيق, تنتى
- Rumi: emak saudara, mak cik, tante (ms)
- Malayalam: അമ്മായി (ml) (ammāyi), (colloquial) മേമ (mēma), മാമി (ml) (māmi), (father's elder sister) വല്യമ്മ (valyamma), (father's younger sister) ചെറിയമ്മ (ml) (ceṟiyamma)
- Maltese: zija (mt) f
- Manchu: (father's elder brother's wife) ᠠᠮᡠ (amu), (mother's elder sister) ᠠᠮᠪᡠ (ambu), (mother's elder brother's wife) ᠨᡝᡴᠴᡠ (nekcu)
- Māori: whaea kēkē, whaene (neologism), matua kēkē (genderless)
- Marathi: (mother's sister) माउशी f (māuśī), (mother's sister-in-law) मामी (mr) f (māmī), (father's sister) आत्या f (ātyā), (father's sister-in-law) काकी f (kākī)
- Mari:
- Eastern Mari: ака (aka)
- Mazanderani: پرخا (perxā)
- Meriam: apu
- Middle English: aunte
- Miyako: (younger than one's parent) ブバ (buba), (older or younger than one's parent) ブバマ (bubama)
- Mòcheno: moa'm f
- Ngarrindjeri: barno
- Norman: tànte f (Guernsey), tante f (Jersey)
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: tante (no) m or f, faster (no) m or f (paternal), moster m or f (maternal), morsøster m or f (maternal, archaic)
- Occitan: tanta (oc) f
- Ohlone:
- Northern Ohlone: 'ansik
- Old English: mōdriġe f (mother's sister), faþu f (father's sister)
- Oromo: adaadaa
- Pannonian Rusyn: андя f (andja), нина f (nina)
- Pashto: ترور (ps) f
- Pennsylvania German: Aent f, Aendi f
- Persian:
- Iranian Persian: (paternal) عَمِّه (amme), (maternal) خالِه (xâle), دایْزِه (dâyze), کاکی (fa) (kâki)
- Plautdietsch: Mumm f, Taunte f
- Polish: ciotka (pl) f, ciocia (pl) f, wujenka (pl) f (wife of mother's brother), stryjenka (pl) f (wife of father's brother)
- Portuguese: tia (pt) f
- Romani: bibi f
- Romanian: mătușă (ro) f
- Russian: тётя (ru) f (tjótja), тётка (ru) f (tjótka) (colloquial), тётушка (ru) f (tjótuška)
- Sami:
- Northern Sami: (mother's elder sister) goaski, (mother's younger sister) muoŧŧá, (father's sister) siessá, (parent's or their sibling's cousin's wife) ipmi
- Skolt Sami: sieˊss (paternal)
- Sanskrit: (father's sister) पितृव्या f (pitṛvyā)
- Sardinian: tzia f, tia f
- Scottish Gaelic: piuthar-athar f (paternal), piuthar-màthar f (maternal), antaidh f
- Serbo-Croatian: teta (sh) (Croatia)
- Cyrillic: тетка f, (regional) хала f, (maternal in-law) ујна f, (paternal in-law) стрина f
- Latin: tetka (sh) f, (regional) hala (sh) f, (maternal in-law) ujna (sh) f, (Bosnia) daidžinca f, (paternal in-law) strina (sh) f, (Bosnia) amidžinca f
- Seri: aac
- Sicilian: zia (scn) f
- Sidamo: la'lama
- Sinhalese: නැන්දා (nændā)
- Slovak: teta (sk) f
- Slovene: teta (sl) f
- Somali: eddo
- Sorbian:
- Lower Sorbian: śota f
- Spanish: tía (es) f
- Sudovian: mosa f
- Sundanese: ébé
- Swahili: shangazi (sw)
- Swedish: faster (sv) c (paternal), moster (sv) c (maternal), tant (sv) c (in-law)
- Tagalog: tita (tl), tiya, tiyahin
- Tamil: அத்தை (ta) (attai) (paternal), சித்தி (ta) (citti) (younger), பெரியம்மா (ta) (periyammā) (elder), மாமி (ta) (māmi)
- Telugu: (paternal) అత్త (te) (atta), (maternal) పిన్ని (te) (pinni), పెదమ్మ (te) (pedamma), (maternal, in-law) అత్త (te) (atta)
- Thai: ป้า (th) (bpâa) (parent's elder sister), อา (th) (aa) (father's younger sister), น้า (th) (náa) (mother's younger sister)
- Tibetan: སྲུ་མོ (sru mo) (maternal), ཨ་ནེ (a ne) (paternal)
- Tokelauan: faimātua, matua hā, tuātina
- Turkish: hala (tr), bibi (tr), eme (tr) (paternal), teyze (tr) (maternal), yenge (tr) (in-law)
- Turkmen: daýza
- Ukrainian: ті́тка (uk) f (títka), тьо́тя f (tʹótja), цьоця f (cʹocja), ву́йна f (vújna), ву́йчина (vújčyna), тета f (teta), цьо́тка f (cʹótka), вуянка f (vujanka), стри́йна f (strýjna)
- Urdu: خالَہ f (xāla) (maternal), ماسی f (māsī), پھوپھی f (phophī) (paternal)
- Venetan: amia (vec) f, àmeđa f, àmeda f, àmia f
- Vietnamese: cô (vi) (paternal), dì (vi) (maternal)
- Volapük: jiter (vo), zian (vo)
- Walloon: matante (wa) f
- Welsh: modryb (cy) f
- Wolaytta: aayyee michchiyo, aawaa michchiyo
- Yámana: tanowa-kipa
- Yiddish: מומע f (mume)
- Yoruba: ẹ̀gbọ́n màmá mi obìnrin (mother's older sister), ẹ̀gbọ́n bàbá mi obìnrin (father's older sister), àbúrò màmá mi obìnrin (mother's younger sister), àbúrò bàbá mi obìnrin (father's younger sister)
- Zazaki: ām, xale (diq)
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affectionate term for an older woman, by means of fictive kin
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
- Breton: (1,2,3,4) (please verify) moereb (br) f, (children's language) (please verify) tintin (br) f
- Guarani:
- Paraguayan Guarani: (please verify) sy'y, (2) (please verify) sy kypy'y
- Indonesian: (please verify) bibi (id), (please verify) tante (id), (please verify) tanta
- Interlingua: (please verify) amita
- Lithuanian: (1) (please verify) teta f
- Polish: ciocia (pl) f
- Romanian: (please verify) mătușă (ro) f
- Sorbian:
- Upper Sorbian: (please verify) ćeta (hsb)
- Telugu: (please verify) పిన్ని (te) (pinni), (please verify) పెదమ్మ (te) (pedamma), (please verify) అత్త (te) (atta)
- Tibetan: (please verify) ཡ་ནི (ya ni), (please verify) སུ་མོ (su mo)
- Vietnamese: (please verify) cô (vi), (please verify) thím (vi)
- Woiwurrung: (please verify) bum boora, (please verify) girrin
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See also
References
Further reading
Anagrams
Middle English
Noun
aunt
- alternative form of aunte
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