Meanings
nounbrother-in-law (plural brothers-in-law or (archaic) brethren-in-law or (colloquial, nonstandard) brother-in-laws)
plural brothers-in-law · archaic plural brethren-in-law · colloquial nonstandard plural brother-in-laws · alternative brother in law
- A male relative of one's generation, separated by one degree of marriage:
- The brother of one's spouse.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission has closed its insider trading investigation into stock trades made by then-Sen. Richard Burr and his brother-in-law at the outset of the pandemic, the former senator announced Friday.
2023 January 6, Manu Raju, Devan Cole, “SEC closes insider trading probe into former Republican senator”, in CNN, archived from the original on 27 Jan 2023
- Co-brother-in-law: A male relative of one's generation, separated by two degrees of marriage:
- The husband of the sibling of one's spouse.
He was appalled by trench conditions and the prolongation of the war, a disillusionment further encouraged by the Easter rising, in which his brother-in-law, Francis Sheehy-Skeffington (qv), was murdered by a deranged Anglo–Irish officer, J. C. Bowen-Colthurst (qv).
2009, Donal Lowry, “Kettle, Thomas Michael (‘Tom’)”, in Dictionary of Irish Biography, Cambridge University Press
Synonyms & antonyms
Broader
Origin
- Middle Englishbrother-in-lawe
- Englishbrother-in-law
From Middle English brother-in-lawe; equivalent to brother + -in-law.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans swaer, swaer
- swaerbrother of one's husband
- swaerbrother of one's wife
Ancient Greek δαήρ
- δαήρ (daḗr)brother of one's husband
Arabic شَقِيق زَوْج, شَقِيق زَوْجَة
- شَقِيق زَوْج (šaqīq zawj)brother of one's husband
- شَقِيق زَوْجَة (šaqīq zawja)brother of one's husband
- سِلْف (silf)brother of one's husband
Bengali দেবর, শালা
- দেবর (debor)brother of one's husband
- শালা (śala)brother of one's wife
- শ্যালক (śêlok)brother of one's wife
Bulgarian девер, шурей
- девер (dever)brother of one's husband
- шурей (šurej)brother of one's wife
- зет (zet)husband of one's sister
- зет (zet)husband of the sister of one's husband
- зълвеник (zălvenik)husband of the sister of one's husband
- баджанак (badžanak)husband of the sister of one's wife
Catalan cunyat, cunyat
- cunyatbrother of one's husband
- cunyatbrother of one's wife
- cunyathusband of one's sister
Chinese Cantonese 大伯, 叔仔
- 大伯 (daai⁶ baak³)brother of one's husband
- 叔仔 (suk¹ zai²)brother of one's husband
- 大舅 (daai⁶ kau³)brother of one's wife
- 舅仔 (kau³ zai²)brother of one's wife
- 姐夫 (ze² fu¹)husband of one's sister
- 妹夫 (mui⁶ fu¹)husband of one's sister
Chinese Mandarin 大伯子, 小叔子
- 大伯子 (dàbǎizi)brother of one's husband
- 小叔子 (xiǎoshūzi)brother of one's husband
- 内兄 大舅子 (nèixiōng)brother of one's wife
- 内弟 (nèidì)brother of one's wife
- 婦兄 /妇兄 (fùxiōng)brother of one's wife
- 小舅子 (xiǎojiùzi)brother of one's wife
- 大舅 (dàjiù)brother of one's wife
- 小舅 (xiǎojiù)brother of one's wife
- 婦弟 /妇弟 (fùdì)brother of one's wife
- 姐夫 (jiěfu)husband of one's sister
- 妹夫 (mèifu)husband of one's sister
- 姊夫 (zǐfū)husband of one's sister
Czech švagr, švagr
- švagrbrother of one's husband
- švagrbrother of one's wife
- švagrhusband of one's sister
Danish svoger, svoger
- svogerbrother of one's husband
- svogerbrother of one's wife
- svogerhusband of one's sister
- svogerhusband of the sister of one's husband
- svogerhusband of the sister of one's wife
Dutch zwager, schoonbroer
- zwagerbrother of one's husband
- schoonbroerbrother of one's husband
- zwagerbrother of one's wife
- schoonbroerbrother of one's wife
- zwagerhusband of one's sister
- schoonbroerhusband of one's sister
- zwagerhusband of the sister of one's husband
- schoonbroerhusband of the sister of one's husband
- zwagerhusband of the sister of one's wife
- schoonbroerhusband of the sister of one's wife
Esperanto bofrato, bofrato
- bofratobrother of one's husband
- bofratobrother of one's wife
- bofratohusband of one's sister
- bofratohusband of the sister of one's husband
- bofratohusband of the sister of one's wife
Estonian küdi, nääl
- küdibrother of one's husband
- näälbrother of one's wife
- õemeeshusband of one's sister
- kälimeeshusband of the sister of one's wife
Finnish lanko, kyty
- lankobrother of one's husband
- kytybrother of one's husband
- lankobrother of one's wife
- lankohusband of one's sister
- lankohusband of the sister of one's husband
- lankohusband of the sister of one's wife
French beau-frère, beau-frère
- beau-frèrebrother of one's husband
- beau-frèrebrother of one's wife
- beau-frèrehusband of one's sister
- beau-frèrehusband of the sister of one's husband
- beau-frèrehusband of the sister of one's wife
German Schwager, Schwäher
- Schwagerbrother of one's husband
- Schwäherbrother of one's husband
- Schwagerbrother of one's wife
- Schwäherbrother of one's wife
- Schwagerhusband of one's sister
- Schwäherhusband of one's sister
- Schwippschwagerhusband of the sister of one's husband
- Schwippschwagerhusband of the sister of one's wife
Greek κουνιάδος, κουνιάδος
- κουνιάδος (kouniádos)brother of one's husband
- κουνιάδος (kouniádos)brother of one's wife
- γαμπρός (gamprós)husband of one's sister
- μπατζανάκης (batzanákis)husband of the sister of one's wife
Hebrew גִּיס, יָבָם
- גִּיס (gís)brother of one's husband
- יָבָם (yavám)brother of one's husband
- גִּיס (gís)brother of one's wife
- גִּיס (gís)husband of one's sister
- גִּיס (gís)husband of the sister of one's husband
- גִּיס (gís)husband of the sister of one's wife
Hindi देवर, जेठ
- देवर (devar)brother of one's husband
- जेठ (jeṭh)brother of one's husband
- साला (sālā)brother of one's wife
- जीजा (jījā)husband of one's sister
- बहनोई (bahnoī)husband of one's sister
- जीजा (jījā)husband of the sister of one's husband
- बहनोई (bahnoī)husband of the sister of one's husband
- साढ़ू (sāṛhū)husband of the sister of one's wife
Hungarian sógor, sógor
- sógorbrother of one's husband
- sógorbrother of one's wife
- sógorhusband of one's sister
Icelandic mágur, mágur
- mágurbrother of one's husband
- mágurbrother of one's wife
- mágurhusband of one's sister
- svilihusband of the sister of one's husband
- svilihusband of the sister of one's wife
Irish deartháir céile, deartháir céile
- deartháir céilebrother of one's husband
- deartháir céilebrother of one's wife
- deartháir céilehusband of one's sister
Italian cognato
- cognatobrother of one's husband
Japanese 義理の兄, 義兄
- 義理の兄 (giri no ani)brother of one's husband
- 義兄 (gikei)brother of one's husband
- 義理の弟 (giri no otōto)brother of one's husband
- 義弟 (gitei)brother of one's husband
- 義兄弟 (gikyōdai)brother of one's husband
- (お)義兄さんbrother of one's husband
- 小舅 (kojūto)brother of one's husband
- 義理の兄 (giri no ani)brother of one's wife
- 義兄 (gikei)brother of one's wife
- 義理の弟 (giri no otōto)brother of one's wife
- 義弟 (gitei)brother of one's wife
- 義兄弟 (gikyōdai)brother of one's wife
Korean 시숙, 시(媤)아주버니
- 시숙 (sisuk)brother of one's husband
- 시(媤)아주버니 (siajubeoni)brother of one's husband
- 시동생 (sidongsaeng)brother of one's husband
- 처남 (cheonam)brother of one's wife
- 매부 (maebu)husband of one's sister
- 형부 (hyeongbu)husband of one's sister
- 제부 (jebu)husband of one's sister
- 시(媤)누 남편 (sinu nampyeon)husband of the sister of one's husband
- 시매부 (simaebu)husband of the sister of one's husband
- 동서 (dongseo)husband of the sister of one's wife
Latin lēvir, sororius
- lēvirbrother of one's husband
- sororiushusband of one's sister
Latvian dieveris, svainis
- dieverisbrother of one's husband
- svainisbrother of one's wife
- svainishusband of one's sister
Lithuanian dieveris, svainis
- dieverisbrother of one's husband
- svainisbrother of one's wife
Malay abang ipar, adik ipar lelaki
- abang iparbrother of one's husband
- adik ipar lelakibrother of one's husband
- ipar lelakibrother of one's husband
- adik iparbrother of one's husband
- iparbrother of one's husband
- abang iparbrother of one's wife
- adik ipar lelakibrother of one's wife
- ipar lelakibrother of one's wife
- adik iparbrother of one's wife
- iparbrother of one's wife
- abang iparhusband of one's sister
- adik ipar lelakihusband of one's sister
Māori taokete, autāne
- taoketebrother of one's husband
- autānebrother of one's husband
Norwegian Bokmål svoger, svoger
- svogerbrother of one's husband
- svogerbrother of one's wife
- svogerhusband of one's sister
Persian هیور
- هیور (hivar)brother of one's husband
Polish szwagier, dziewierz
- szwagierbrother of one's husband
- dziewierzbrother of one's husband
- szwagierbrother of one's wife
- szurzy (arhaic or dialectal)brother of one's wife
- szwagierhusband of one's sister
- szwagierhusband of the sister of one's husband
- szwagierhusband of the sister of one's wife
Portuguese cunhado, cunhado
- cunhadobrother of one's husband
- cunhadobrother of one's wife
- cunhadohusband of one's sister
- concunhadohusband of the sister of one's husband
- cunhadohusband of the sister of one's husband
- concunhadohusband of the sister of one's wife
- cunhadohusband of the sister of one's wife
Punjabi ਭਣਵਈਆ, ਭਣੂਜਾ
- ਭਣਵਈਆ (bhaṇvaīā)husband of one's sister
- ਭਣੂਜਾ (bhaṇūjā)husband of one's sister
Romanian cumnat, șogor
- cumnatbrother of one's husband
- șogorbrother of one's husband
- cumnatbrother of one's wife
- cumnathusband of one's sister
- cumnathusband of the sister of one's husband
- cumnathusband of the sister of one's wife
Russian де́верь, шу́рин
- де́верь (déverʹ)brother of one's husband
- шу́рин (šúrin)brother of one's wife
- зять (zjatʹ)husband of one's sister
- зять (zjatʹ)husband of the sister of one's husband
- своя́к (svoják)husband of the sister of one's wife
Scottish Gaelic bràthair-cèile, bràthair-cèile
- bràthair-cèilebrother of one's husband
- bràthair-cèilebrother of one's wife
- bràthair-cèilehusband of one's sister
Spanish cuñado, mashita
- cuñadobrother of one's husband
- mashitabrother of one's husband
- cuñadobrother of one's wife
- cuñadohusband of one's sister
- concuñadohusband of the sister of one's husband
- concuñadohusband of the sister of one's wife
Swedish svåger, svärbror
- svågerbrother of one's husband
- svärbrorbrother of one's husband
- svågerbrother of one's wife
- svågerhusband of one's sister
- svågerhusband of one's brother
Tagalog bayaw, bayaw
- bayawbrother of one's husband
- bayawbrother of one's wife
- siyahohusband of one's sister
- bayawhusband of one's sister
- bilas na lalakihusband of the sister of one's husband
- bilas na lalakihusband of the sister of one's wife
Turkish kayın, kayınbirader
- kayınbrother of one's husband
- kayınbiraderbrother of one's husband
- kayınçobrother of one's husband
- inibrother of one's husband
- kayınçobrother of one's wife
- kayınbiraderbrother of one's wife
- inibrother of one's wife
- kayınbrother of one's wife
- eniştehusband of one's sister
- yengehusband of one's brother
- eniştehusband of the sister of one's husband
- bacanakhusband of the sister of one's wife
Ukrainian ді́вер, шу́рин
- ді́вер (díver)brother of one's husband
- шу́рин (šúryn)brother of one's wife
Urdu دیوَر, جیٹھ
- دیوَر (devar)brother of one's husband
- جیٹھ (jeṭh)brother of one's husband
- سالا (sālā)brother of one's wife
- ہَم زُلْف (ham zulf)husband of the sister of one's wife
- ساڑُھو (sāṛhū)husband of the sister of one's wife
Vietnamese anh chồng, em chồng
- anh chồngbrother of one's husband
- em chồngbrother of one's husband
- anh vợbrother of one's wife
- em vợbrother of one's wife
- anh rểhusband of one's sister
Welsh brawd yng nghyfraith, brawd yng nghyfraith
- brawd yng nghyfraithbrother of one's husband
- brawd yng nghyfraithbrother of one's wife
- brawd yng nghyfraithhusband of one's sister
Cite this entry
APA
brother-in-law. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brother-in-law
MLA
“brother-in-law.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brother-in-law. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “brother-in-law,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brother-in-law.
Source: brother-in-law on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.