nuncle

N1U1N1C3L1E1

noun

Uncle.

Scrabble 8
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Meanings

nounnuncle (plural nuncles)

plural nuncles

  1. archaicdialectalUncle.

    Fool: Prithee, nuncle, tell me whether a madman be a gentleman or a yeoman?

    1605, Shakespeare, King Lear
  2. anthropologyAunt or uncle; sibling of a parent (regardless of gender).
verbnuncle (third-person singular simple present nuncles, present participle nuncling, simple past and past participle nuncled)

present singular third person nuncles · participle present nuncling · participle past nuncled · past nuncled

  1. EnglandregionalTo cheat, deceive.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
uncle

Origin

From rebracketing of phrases an uncle, mine uncle, thine uncle, etc. Compare neam and naunt, as well as French mononcle. For the verb, OED suggests an evolution in sense "to claim to be one's uncle" > "to cheat". It compares this derivation with cozen, which it derives from cousin. For the technical anthropological sense, compare nibling.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

nuncle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nuncle

MLA

“nuncle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nuncle. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nuncle,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nuncle.

Source: nuncle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.