Parent-in-law

A parent-in-law is a person who has a legal affinity with another by being the parent of the other's spouse.^[1] Many cultures and legal systems impose duties and responsibilities on persons connected by this relationship. A person is a son-in-law or daughter-in-law to the parents of the spouse, who are in turn also the parents of those sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law (if any) who are siblings of the spouse (as opposed to spouses of siblings). Together the members of this family affinity group are called the in-laws.

Fathers-in-law

A father-in-law is the father of a person's spouse. Two men who are fathers-in-law to each other's children may be called co-fathers-in-law, or, if there are grandchildren, co-grandfathers.

Mothers-in-law

A mother-in-law is the mother of a person's spouse. Two women who are mothers-in-law to each other's children may be called co-mothers-in-law, or, if there are grandchildren, co-grandmothers.

In comedies, the mother-in-law is sometimes shown as the bane of the husband, who is married to the mother-in-law's daughter. Mothers-in-law are often stereotyped in mother-in-law jokes.^[2]

Some Australian Aboriginal languages use avoidance speech, so-called "mother-in-law languages", special sub-languages used when in hearing distance of taboo relatives, most commonly the mother-in-law.

A Mother-in-law suite is also a type of dwelling, usually guest accommodations within a family home that may be used for members of the extended family.

See also

• Affinity (law)
• Marriage
• Mother-in-law joke
• Mother-in-law house
• Mother-in-law apartment

External links

References

1. ^ Floyd, Kory; Morman, Mark T. (2006). Widening the family circle: new research on family communication. SAGE. ISBN 978-1412909228. 
2. ^ Settles, Barbara H. (1999). Concepts and definitions of family for the 21st century. Psychology Press. ISBN 978-0789007650. http://books.google.com/books?id=MlM5PvsUHr4C&lpg=PP1&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 2011-11-17. 

This sociology-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Family Fatherhood Sociology stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая? Mother's ring Mother and Child Reunion (Degrassi: The Next Generation) Look at other dictionaries: parent-in-law — ˈ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ənˌ ̷ ̷ noun (plural parents in law) : the father or mother of one s spouse : father in law, mother in law * * * /pair euhnt in law , par /, n., pl. parents in law. the father or mother of one s wife or husband …   Useful english dictionary parent-in-law — /pair euhnt in law , par /, n., pl. parents in law. the father or mother of one s wife or husband. [1895 1900] * * * …   Universalium parent-in-law — noun A mother in law or father in law …   Wiktionary parent-in-law — par′ent in law n. pl. par•ents in law the father or mother of one s wife or husband • Etymology: 1895–1900 …   From formal English to slang parent-in-law — /ˈpɛərənt ɪn lɔ/ (say pairruhnt in law) noun (plural parents in law) the father or mother of one s wife or husband …   parent-in-law —   Makuahūnōai …   English-Hawaiian dictionary parent — par·ent n 1 a: a person who begets or brings forth offspring; esp: the natural parents of a child born of their marriage ◇ The biological father of an illegitimate child is usu. not considered the child s parent absent a judicial determination of …   Law dictionary parent company — A company may own one or more other companies which are its subsidiaries. The relationship between parent and subsidiary depends on majority control of the voting rights of shares or the ability to appoint the majority of directors. The precise… …   Law dictionary parent undertaking — parent company, or parent undertaking This is a company that owns or controls another company or companies. Any company that it owns is called a subsidiary. + parent company USA Also know …   Law dictionary parent-subsidiary merger — USA short form merger; Also known as parent subsidiary merger. A merger between a parent and its substantially (but not necessarily wholly) owned subsidiary, with the parent company as the surviving corporation, that does not require approval of… …   Law dictionary 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”