aunt

Where does the word "aunt" come from? It comes from Latin amita, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

Aunt’s story begins in Latin: amita meant “a father's sister.” Latin distinguished 'amita', father's sister, from 'matertera', mother's sister. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as ante. Carried into French and broadened to mean any parent's sister. It reached English by 1300s as aunt. Settled as the English word for a parent's sister. Today, aunt means the sister of one's father or mother, or the wife of one's uncle.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient amita "a father's sister", Latin distinguished 'amita', father's sister, from 'matertera', mother's sister.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval ante "a parent's sister", carried into French and broadened to mean any parent's sister.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s aunt "the sister of one's parent", settled as the English word for a parent's sister.