# brother-in-law

Pronunciation: say "BRUTH-ur-in-law" US /ˈbɹʌðɚ ɪn ˌlɔ/, UK /ˈbɹʌðəɹ ɪn ˌlɔː/

## Noun

1. The brother of one's spouse.
   - Simple: The brother of your husband or wife.
   - _Diane's brother-in-law, her husband's older brother, runs the family bakery._
   - _He gets along well with all three of his brothers-in-law, his wife's brothers._
2. The husband of one's sibling.
   - Simple: A man who is married to your sister or brother.
   - _Her brother-in-law joined the firm shortly after marrying her sister._
   - _Both of his sisters married teachers, so his two brothers-in-law trade lesson plans at every holiday dinner._
3. The husband of one's spouse's sibling, a male relative of one's own generation connected through two marriages.
   - Simple: The man married to your husband's or wife's brother or sister.
   - _At the reunion, my brother-in-law, my wife's sister's husband, organized the whole cookout._
   - _The two men married sisters years ago and have been brothers-in-law ever since._

## Noun

4. The brother of one's sibling's spouse: a male relative of one's own generation, connected through a sibling's marriage. *(rare)*
   - Simple: The brother of the person your brother or sister married.
   - _Her brother-in-law (her sister's husband's brother) flew in from Denver for the holidays._
   - _Ever since Priya married his brother, Daniel has golfed most Sundays with her two brothers, whom he now calls his brothers-in-law._

## Origin

From Middle English brother-in-lawe, equivalent to 'brother' plus the suffix '-in-law'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/brother-in-law (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).