| 释义 |
un·cle
I. \ˈəŋkəl\ noun
(-s)
Etymology: Middle English, from Old French uncle, oncle, from Latin avunculus mother's brother; akin to Old English ēam uncle, mother's brother, Old High German ōheim mother's brother, Old Norse afi grandfather, Gothic awo grandmother, Latin avus grandfather, Old Irish aue grandson, Lithuanian avynas mother's brother
1.
a. : the brother of one's father or mother
b. : the husband of one's aunt — often used as a term of affectionate respect for an older man (as a close friend of the family)
2. : one who helps, advises, or encourages
< he played uncle to so many movements — H.G.Wells >
3. slang : pawnbroker
< uncle gave little for them but you got the money readily — Albert Szent-Györgyi >
4. — used as a cry of surrender
< you want me to holler uncle, you want me to crawl for you — Maritta Wolff >
II. transitive verb
(-ed/-ing/-s)
: to refer to as uncle : address as uncle
< grace me no grace nor uncle me no uncle — Shakespeare >
III.
Usage: usually capitalized
— a communications code word for the letter u |