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Glite Dictionary
husband-in-law

husband-in-law

9.9
A man who is married to your spouse's brother or sister
  • noun
  • /ˈhʌzbənd ɪn lɔː/
translation icon : esposo de mi cuñada
  • I met my brother's husband-in-law at the family reunion.

Examples

  • My sister's husband-in-law is coming to dinner.

  • Her husband-in-law is a great support to her.

  • My sister's husband-in-law is quite the chef.

  • Do you know my husband-in-law?

  • I enjoy spending time with my sister's husband-in-law during family gatherings.

  • At the wedding, I finally met my brother's husband-in-law, and we hit it off immediately.

  • Her husband-in-law offered to help with the decorations for the party.

Synonyms

in-law
vshusband-in-law
496 2.1

A person related to you by marriage, for example your spouse's parent or sibling

is a more distant marriage relation than a spouse's immediate relatives
relative-in-law
vshusband-in-law
3.5

A family member related to you by marriage, not by blood, like a mother-in-law

is a narrower marriage relation referring to one specific family link

Surface Forms

husband-in-law singular
husbands-in-law plural
husbands in law plural
husband in law singular

Morphology

husband-in-law = husband + in-law (transparent) = husband + in-law

Clear compound of 'husband' + 'in-law'; the meaning 'husband who is related by marriage' follows directly from the parts.

Etymology

Husband-in-law is made of husband and in-law. Here husband means 'a married man' and in-law means a relative 'by marriage', as in mother-in-law, so the term names the husband who becomes part of your family through marriage.