avunculus Latin · revision 7526

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=Plautus|origins=ine-pro *h₂éwh₂s}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA (Classical): [aˈwʊŋ.kʊ.ɫʊs]^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (Ecclesiastical): [aˈvuŋ.ku.lus]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''avunculus''' ''m'' (genitive avunculī); second declension^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is from [[avus]] “grandfather” with the suffix [[-culus]], properly “little grandfather”.^(OLD 2012)^(Etymonline)^(Köbler 2010) Wiktionary derives it from an ⟨n⟩-stem ⟨*h₂ewh₂-on-⟩, a dialectal diminutive of [[ine-pro|*h₂éwh₂s|t=grandfather, adult male relative]], whence also [[cel-pro|*awontīr|t=uncle]].^(Wiktionary) Lewis and Short compare [[lt|avýnas|t=uncle]].^(Lewis & Short 1879) Isidore notes that the name has the form of a diminutive, showing it comes from ⟨avus⟩.^(Isidore)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The OLD's earliest citation is from Plautus, of a mother's brother.^(OLD 2012) Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It meant a mother's brother, a maternal uncle, as against [[patruus]], a father's brother, and in Seneca a mother's sister's husband.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(Etymonline) In Cicero ''avunculus magnus'' was a great-uncle, in Seneca ''avunculus maior'' a great-great-uncle, and in the Digest ''avunculus maximus'' a still more remote uncle.^(OLD 2012)^(Gaffiot 2016)

+

+ In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant an uncle.^(Stelten 1995) Medieval Latin also used it for a father's brother and for a cousin.^(Niermeyer 1976) It survives in Romanian ''unchi'' and French ''oncle'', and Old French ''oncle'' gave [[en|uncle]] about 1300.^(Wiktionary)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of a maternal uncle.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 81–43 BC – Cicero uses ''avunculus magnus''.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 4 BC–65 AD – Seneca uses ''avunculus maior''.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * c. 1300 – English ''uncle'' is recorded.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A mother's brother, maternal [[m|en|uncle]]; a mother's sister's husband.^(OLD 2012)

+ # ''avunculus magnus'', a great-uncle.^(OLD 2012)

+ # ''avunculus maior'', a great-great-uncle.^(OLD 2012)

+ # ''(Medieval Latin)'' A father's brother; a cousin.^(Niermeyer 1976)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[avunculāris]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[amita]]

+ * [[matertera]]

+ * [[patruus]]

+ * [[avus]]

+ * [[en|uncle]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}