father-in-law

[ fah-ther-in-law ]
See synonyms for father-in-law on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural fa·thers-in-law.
  1. the father of one's spouse.

Origin of father-in-law

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English fader in lawe; see origin at father, in, law1; from Middle English in-lawe “in law,” i.e., “a person within the regulation and protection of the law,” based on the prohibition by Roman civil law and, later, Christian canon law, of marriages within four degrees of consanguinity, i.e., up to and including first cousins

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How to use father-in-law in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for father-in-law

father-in-law

nounplural fathers-in-law
  1. the father of one's wife or husband

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012