father-in-law

/ˈfɑːðəɹɪnˌlɔː/

noun

One's spouse's father.

OriginMiddle English fader in lawe →
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Meanings

nounfather-in-law (plural fathers-in-law or (colloquial, nonstandard) father-in-laws)

plural fathers-in-law · colloquial nonstandard plural father-in-laws · alternative father in law

  1. One's spouse's father.
  2. obsoleteA stepfather.

    `Yes,` replied Snawley. `The fact is, I am not their father, Mr Squeers. I'm only their father-in-law.`

    1839, Charles Dickens, chapter IV, in Nicholas Nickleby, →ISBN, page 41

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
stepfather

Origin

  1. Middle Englishfader in lawe
  2. Englishfather-in-law

From Middle English fader in lawe, fadyr-in-lay, fader yn lawe, equivalent to father + -in-law.

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans skoonpa
  • skoonpaone's spouse's father
Ancient Greek πενθερός, ἑκυρός
  • πενθερός (pentherós)one's spouse's father
  • ἑκυρός (hekurós)one's spouse's father
Arabic حَم
  • حَم (ḥam)one's spouse's father
Basque aitaginarreba
  • aitaginarrebaone's spouse's father
Bulgarian све́кър, тъст
  • све́кър (svékăr)one's spouse's father
  • тъст (tăst)one's spouse's father
Catalan sogre
  • sogreone's spouse's father
Chinese Mandarin 公公, 岳父
  • 公公 (gōnggong)one's spouse's father
  • 岳父 (yuèfù)one's spouse's father
  • 嫜 (zhāng)one's spouse's father
Czech tchán, svekr
  • tchánone's spouse's father
  • svekrone's spouse's father
Danish svigerfar
  • svigerfarone's spouse's father
Dutch schoonvader
  • schoonvaderone's spouse's father
Esperanto bopatro
  • bopatroone's spouse's father
Estonian äi
  • äione's spouse's father
Finnish appi
  • appione's spouse's father
French beau-père
  • beau-pèreone's spouse's father
German Schwiegervater, Schwäher
  • Schwiegervaterone's spouse's father
  • Schwäherone's spouse's father
Greek πεθερός
  • πεθερός (petherós)one's spouse's father
Hebrew חָם, חוֹתֵן
  • חָם (khám)one's spouse's father
  • חוֹתֵן (khotén)one's spouse's father
Hindi ससुर, समधी
  • ससुर (sasur)one's spouse's father
  • समधी (samdhī)one's spouse's father
Hungarian após
  • apósone's spouse's father
Icelandic tengdapabbi, tengdafaðir
  • tengdapabbione's spouse's father
  • tengdafaðirone's spouse's father
  • tengdóone's spouse's father
Indonesian ayah mertua, bapak mertua
  • ayah mertuaone's spouse's father
  • bapak mertuaone's spouse's father
Irish athair céile
  • athair céileone's spouse's father
Italian suocero
  • suoceroone's spouse's father
Japanese 義父, 岳父
  • 義父 (gifu)one's spouse's father
  • 岳父 (gakufu)one's spouse's father
  • 舅 (shūto)one's spouse's father
Korean 시아버지, 장인
  • 시아버지 (siabeoji)one's spouse's father
  • 장인 (jang'in)one's spouse's father
Latin socer, patraster
  • socerone's spouse's father
  • patrasterone's spouse's father
Latvian ap'
  • ap'one's spouse's father
Malay bapa mertua, ayah mertua
  • bapa mertuaone's spouse's father
  • ayah mertuaone's spouse's father
Māori hungarei, hungawai
  • hungareione's spouse's father
  • hungawaione's spouse's father
Norwegian Bokmål svigerfar
  • svigerfarone's spouse's father
Persian پدرشوهر, پدرزن
  • پدرشوهر (pedar-šowhar)one's spouse's father
  • پدرزن (pedar-zan)one's spouse's father
  • خسر (xosor)one's spouse's father
Polish teść, świekier
  • teśćone's spouse's father
  • świekierone's spouse's father
Portuguese sogro
  • sogroone's spouse's father
Punjabi ਸੁਹਰਾ, ਸੁਸਰ
  • ਸੁਹਰਾ (suhrā)one's spouse's father
  • ਸੁਸਰ (susar)one's spouse's father
  • ਖ਼ੁਸਰ (xusar)one's spouse's father
  • سَوہرا (sauhrā)one's spouse's father
  • سُسَر (susar)one's spouse's father
  • خُسَر (xusar)one's spouse's father
Romanian socru
  • socruone's spouse's father
Russian свёкор, свёкр
  • свёкор (svjókor)one's spouse's father
  • свёкр (svjokr)one's spouse's father
  • тесть (testʹ)one's spouse's father
Scottish Gaelic athair-cèile
  • athair-cèileone's spouse's father
Slovak svokor, tesť
  • svokorone's spouse's father
  • tesťone's spouse's father
Spanish suegro
  • suegroone's spouse's father
Swahili baba mkwe
  • baba mkweone's spouse's father
Swedish svärfar
  • svärfarone's spouse's father
Tagalog biyanang-lalaki
  • biyanang-lalakione's spouse's father
Tamil மாமனார்
  • மாமனார் (māmaṉār)one's spouse's father
Thai พ่อผัว, พ่อสามี
  • พ่อผัว (pɔ̂ɔ-pǔua)one's spouse's father
  • พ่อสามีone's spouse's father
  • พ่อตา (pɔ̂ɔ-dtaa)one's spouse's father
Turkish kaynata, kayınbaba
  • kaynataone's spouse's father
  • kayınbabaone's spouse's father
  • kayınpederone's spouse's father
Ukrainian све́кор, тесть
  • све́кор (svékor)one's spouse's father
  • тесть (testʹ)one's spouse's father
Urdu سَسُر, سُسَر
  • سَسُر (sasur)one's spouse's father
  • سُسَر (susar)one's spouse's father
  • خُسَر (xusar)one's spouse's father
Vietnamese cha chồng, cha vợ
  • cha chồngone's spouse's father
  • cha vợone's spouse's father
Welsh chwegrwn, tad yng nghyfraith
  • chwegrwnone's spouse's father
  • tad yng nghyfraithone's spouse's father
Yiddish שווער
  • שווער (shver)one's spouse's father
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: father-in-law on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.