uncle

(ŭng'kəl)
n.

1. 1. The brother of one's mother or father.
   2. The husband of one's aunt.
2. Used as a form of address for an older man, especially by children.
3. A kindly counselor.
4. Slang. A pawnbroker.
5. Uncle Uncle Sam.

idiom:

cry (or say) uncle Informal.

1. To indicate a willingness to give up a fight or surrender: tickled my brother until he cried uncle.

[Middle English, from Anglo-Norman, from Latin avunculus, maternal uncle.]

uncleless un'cle·less adj.

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IN BRIEF: The brother of one's father or mother. Also: The husband of one's aunt.

My uncle told us stories about when he and my mom were growing up.

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sign description: The U-handshape makes a small circular motion at the temple.

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noun
noun, cap, US

1: A pawnbroker. In early usage, usu. preceded by a possessive adjective. (1756 —) .
Times 'Uncle' is changing his image. His clients may still be in dire financial straits, but they are no longer the traditional working class (1988).

2: (The members of) a federal agency. (1849 —) .
W. Burroughs 'He belongs to Uncle, now,' said the [police] captain to my wife as they left the house (1953).

3: to say (cry, holler, etc.) uncle N Amer To acknowledge defeat, to cry for mercy. (1918 —) .
D. Delman 'Stop it, darling, please.' 'Say uncle.' 'Uncle' (1972).

[In sense 2, short for Uncle Sam the US; in sense 3, perh. from Irish anacol deliverance, mercy, assimilated to English uncle parent's brother.]

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For a list of words related to uncle, see:

• Relationships by Blood and Marriage - uncle: brother of one’s father or mother; aunt’s husband
• Friendly or Familiar Address

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See words rhyming with "uncle."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Uncle.

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - onkel, [sl.] pantelåner

idioms:

• cry uncle    give fortabt
• Uncle Sam    Uncle Sam; den amerikanske stat
• Uncle Tom    [sl.] neger, der prøver at tækkes hvide

Nederlands (Dutch)
oom

Français (French)
n. - oncle

idioms:

• cry uncle    demander grâce
• Uncle Sam    Oncle Sam (personnification des États-Unis)
• Uncle Tom    Oncle Tom

Deutsch (German)
n. - Onkel, (Slang) Pfandleiher

idioms:

• cry uncle    (ugs.) sich für besiegt erklären
• Uncle Sam    Uncle Sam (die Regierung od. die Bürger der USA)
• Uncle Tom    den Weißen gegenüber gefügiger Schwarzer in den USA

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - θείος, μπάρμπας, ενεχυροδανειστής

idioms:

• cry uncle    παραδίνομαι
• Uncle Sam    ο Μπάρμπα Σαμ, το αμερικανικό δημόσιο, (ΗΠΑ) ομοσπονδιακός πράκτορας
• Uncle Tom    δουλοπρεπής νέγρος

Italiano (Italian)
zio

idioms:

• cry uncle    arrendersi
• Uncle Sam    zio Sam
• Uncle Tom    zio Tom

Português (Portuguese)
n. - tio (m)

idioms:

• cry uncle    pedir ajuda
• Uncle Sam    Tio Sam
• Uncle Tom    negro considerado amigo dos brancos

Русский (Russian)
дядя, пожилой человек (особ. в обращении), ростовщик

idioms:

• cry uncle    просить пощады, признать поражение
• Uncle Sam    "дядя Сэм" (олицетворение США), представитель федеральных властей США
• Uncle Tom    "дядя Том" (добрый покорный чернокожий американец)

Español (Spanish)
n. - tío

idioms:

• cry uncle    rendirse
• Uncle Sam    el tío Sam (personificación de EE.UU.)
• Uncle Tom    Tío Tom, negro que adopta una actitud servil frente al blanco

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - farbror, morbror, onkel

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
伯父, 姨丈, 叔父, 舅舅

idioms:

• cry uncle    求饶, 认输
• Uncle Sam    山姆大叔, 美国政府或人民的绰号
• Uncle Tom    逆来顺受的美国黑人

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 伯父, 姨丈, 叔父, 舅舅

idioms:

• cry uncle    求饒, 認輸
• Uncle Sam    山姆大叔, 美國政府或人民的綽號
• Uncle Tom    逆來順受的美國黑人

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 아저씨, 삼촌, 전당포 주인

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - おじ, 助けてくれる人, おじさん, 質屋

idioms:

• Bob's your uncle    すべてよし
• Uncle Sam    米国, 米国政府
• Uncle Tom    白人に迎合する黒人

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) عم, خال‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮דוד, משכונאי (עגה)‬

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