Legal Dictionary

avuncular

Definition of avuncular

Etymology

    From Latin avunculus ("maternal uncle").

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA: /əˈvʌŋkjʊlə/, SAMPA: /@"vVN.kjU.l@/
  • (US) IPA: /əˈvʌŋkjʊlɚ/
  • Audio (US) [?]

Adjective

avuncular (comparative more avuncular, superlative most avuncular)

  1. In the manner of an uncle, pertaining to an uncle.

    * David Nokes, Jane Austen: A Life
    Both uncle Frank and uncle Stephen Austen had made it a point of principle to be rigorously unsentimental in the discharge of their avuncular obligations.

  2. Hence, kind, genial, benevolent or tolerant.

    * Vicki Croke, "New leader of the MSPCA moves to tame budget woes," Boston Globe, September 20, 2003
    Thornton's reputation was that of a soft-hearted and avuncular veterinarian known for getting teary-eyed while listening to even slightly sentimental stories.

    * William Schneider, "The New Shape of American Politics," The Atlantic, January 1987
    A man with such a nice, avuncular personality would not blow up the world.

See also

  • materteral

References:

  1. Wiktionary. Published under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.



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