• Aunt

    Pronunciation

    • enPR: änt, IPA: /É‘(ː)nt/ in the Received Pronunciation of the UK; in Australia; in the US, New England and Virginia, where it is the most common pronunciation
    • Rhymes: -ɑːnt
    • Homophones: aren't in some non-rhotic accents
    • enPR: ănt, IPA: /ænt/ in the northern UK; in Canada; in the US, where it is the most common pronunciation in all regions except New England and Virginia
    The Dialect Survey of US pronunciations
    • Rhymes: -ænt
    • Homophones: ant
    • IPA: /É’nt/ in the Maritime provinces of Canada
    • enPR: ônt, IPA: /É”nt/ in the US, primarily in New England
    • IPA: /e͡ɪnt/ in the American South
    • Homophones: ain't
    • IPA: /ÊŠÍ¡É™ntÌš/ in New York City
    • Homophones: on

    Origin

    From Middle English aunte, from Anglo-Norman aunte, from Old French ante, from Latin amita ("father's sister"). Displaced native Middle English modrie ("aunt") (from Old English mōdriġe ("maternal aunt"); compare Old English faþu#Old English ("faþu, faþe#Old English")).

    Full definition of aunt

    Noun

    aunt

    (plural aunts)
    1. A sister or sister-in-law of someone’s parent.
      • 2007, Nancy Eshelman, A Piece of My Mind: Columns from the Patriot-News, page 35:I mentioned another aunt, my late mother's sister, who's about the same age.
    2. (also great-aunt or grandaunt) A person's grandparent's sister or sister-in-law.
    3. (usually auntie) A grandmother.
    4. An affectionate term for a woman of an older generation than oneself, especially a friend of one's parents, by means of fictive kin.

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