brother-out-law

noun

The brother of one's boyfriend or girlfriend.

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Meanings

nounbrother-out-law (plural brothers-out-law)

plural brothers-out-law

  1. The brother of one's boyfriend or girlfriend.
  2. The boyfriend of one's sister or brother.

    The Church, therefore, decided to declare Richard a brother-out-law and condemned him.

    2013, Virendra Pandit, The Biology of History-Ascent of Women, →ISBN, page 481
    1 more example

    Eust[ace]. My brother Out-lavv, and my ovvne true brother! / Cha[rles]. For euer thus let vs embrace each other.

    c. 1592 (date written), Thomas Heywood, The Foure Prentises of London, […], revised edition, London: […] Nicholas Okes, published 1632, →OCLC, signature [I4], recto
  3. The brother of one's ex-spouse.

    Going home and hanging out with his daughter and brother-in-law, Ex-brother-in-law? Brother-out-law? seemed a whole lot better than whatever was going to happen inside that restaurant.

    2018, Eric Baysinger, Brother-out-Law, →ISBN, page 69

Origin

From brother + -out-law, by analogy to brother-in-law.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

brother-out-law. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brother-out-law

MLA

“brother-out-law.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brother-out-law. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “brother-out-law,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brother-out-law.

Source: brother-out-law on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.