avunculaire

French

Etymology

From Medieval Latin avunculāris, ultimately from Classical Latin avunculus (“maternal uncle”) +‎ -āris (“-ar”).

According to the Trésor de la langue française informatisé, the sense “relating to an aunt” (“materteral”) results from a reanalysis of the adjective as being based on both Vulgar Latin avunculus (“uncle”) and Late Latin avuncula (“aunt”), the expected French adjective *matertéral being unattested. The 9th edition of the Dictionnaire de l'Académie française likewise defines the adjective as applying to “un oncle ou une tante”.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.vɔ̃.ky.lɛʁ/

Adjective

avunculaire (plural avunculaires)

1. (relational) uncle; avuncular
2. (relational) aunt; materteral
3. (anthropology) avunculate (pertaining to a society where the avunculate is of central importance)

   une société avunculaire ― an avunculate society

Related terms

• atavisme
• oncle

Further reading

• “avunculaire”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012