BROTHER-IN-LAW Definition & Meaning

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brother-in-law

[ bruhth-er-in-law ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

plural brothers-in-law.

the brother of one's spouse.
the husband of one's sister or brother.
the husband of one's spouse's sister or brother.

brother-in-law

noun

the brother of one's wife or husband
the husband of one's sister
the husband of the sister of one's husband or wife

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of brother-in-law¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English brother in law(e); brother, in, law ¹; from Middle English in-lawe “in law,” i.e., “a person within the regulation and protection of the law,” based on the prohibition by Roman civil law and, later, Christian canon law, of marriages within four degrees of consanguinity, i.e., up to and including first cousins

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

My brother-in-law also added me as a backup.

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“And then other people come and say, ‘My brother-in-law — his kid got shot by another kid for his Xbox.’

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The first Pat Brewin knew about her sister and brother-in-law being shipwrecked at sea in a dinghy and rubber life raft - tied together for nearly four months - was when she watched the News at 10.

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His brother-in-law was helping him put a tarpaulin over the roof.

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In the meantime, she said she is thankful for the "geekiness" of her brother-in-law whose research changed everything.

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