MOTHER-IN-LAW Definition & Meaning

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mother-in-law

[ muhth-er-in-law ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

plural mothers-in-law.

the mother of one's spouse.

mother-in-law

noun

the mother of one's wife or husband

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of mother-in-law¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English moder in lawe; mother ¹( def ), in ( def ), law ¹( def ); 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 mother-in-law passed away right before the pandemic started.

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"I know that my mother-in-law, if she were watching and she may be, would be very clear that you should never mess with a woman from anywhere on the island of Ireland," Jogee said.

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Speaking with Times reporters outside a Studio City condo complex in February, Krivitsky said her experience included caring for her mother-in-law for more than two decades.

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Behind him were his wife, mother-in-law and other relatives, gingerly making their way into the riverbed.

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My mother-in-law saw it and didn’t savor it.

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