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TIO (TEE-oh)

Spanish word for uncle
Common clues: Yucatan
uncle; Uruguayan uncle; Juan's uncle; Spanish uncle; Familia member; Madre's brother; Cancun kinsman
Crossword puzzle frequency: 2 times a year
Video:
Uncle Jackie’s Used Car Emporium





Uncle (from Latin: avunculus "little grandfather", the diminutive of avus "grandfather") is a family relationship or kinship within an extended or immediate family. An uncle is the brother, brother-in-law or half-brother of one's parent. A biological uncle is a second degree relative and shares 25% genetic overlap.


A great-uncle (sometimes written as great uncle, grand-uncle or granduncle) is the brother or brother-in-law of one's grandparent.


A woman with an equivalent relationship is an aunt, and the reciprocal relationship is that of a nephew or niece.


In some cultures and families, children may refer to the cousins of their parents as "aunt" or "uncle". It is also a title of respect for elders (for example older cousins, neighbors, acquaintances, close family friends as well as total strangers). Using this term in this way is a form of fictive kinship.


In some cultures, like Albanian, Slavic or Persian cultures, no single inclusive term describing both a person's kinship to their parental male sibling or parental male in-law exists. Instead, there are specific terms describing a person's kinship to their mother's brother ("dajë" in Albanian language, "daiyee" in Persian) or a person's kinship to their father's brother ("xhajë" in Albanian, "amou" in Persian).


An analogous differentiation exists in Albanian using separate terms to describe a person's kinship to their mother's female sibling ("teze"), and a person's kinship to their father's female sibling ("hallë").


An analogous differentiation exists in modern Persian using separate terms to describe a person's kinship to their mother's female sibling ("khaleh"), and a person's kinship to their father's female sibling ("ammeh").


Furthermore, in Persian culture the terms used to describe a person's kinship to their maternal or paternal in-laws bear clear and unambiguous descriptions of that relationship, differentiating the parental in-laws from blood-relatives. For example, there is a specific term describing a person's kinship to the spouse of their paternal uncle (i.e. "zan-amou", literally 'wife-of-' amou). This clarifies that kinship is to the spouse of the person's paternal male sibling, as opposed to a blood-relationship.


Uncles and aunts are considered important in modern Irish culture and are usually chosen to be godfather or godmother of children during Catholic baptism. A young Irish person might seek the counsel of their favourite aunt or uncle before making an important decision and the opinion of the respective aunt or uncle is treated seriously.




This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Uncle"