24 October 2016
avuncular
[uh-vuhng-kyuh-ler]
adjective
1. of, relating to, or characteristic of an uncle :
avuncular affection.
Origin of avuncular
Latin
1825-1835; < Latin avuncul (us) a mother’s brother, equivalent to av (us) a forefather + *-ont- + *-l (os) diminutive suffix (cf. uncle ) + -ar1
Related forms
avuncularity, noun
avuncularly, adverb
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for avuncular
Contemporary Examples
At precisely 11:00, NRA president David Keene plodded slowly to the podium, bespectacled, white haired, and avuncular.
The NRA: From Awful to Even Worse
Michelle Cottle
December 21, 2012
FDR gives an avuncular grin around his famous cigarette holder to Andrew Jackson.
The 100 Coolest Americans Gather at the National Portrait Gallery
William O’Connor
February 6, 2014
Even more polite than Jay, Brian Leveson gives off the avuncular air of a kindly head master.
Curtains for Murdoch
Peter Jukes
April 22, 2012
From Cairo, Ashraf Khalil reports on the clash between an aggressive Amr Moussa and avuncular Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh.
Moussa, Aboul Fotouh Spar in Egypt’s Epic First Presidential Debate
Ashraf Khalil
May 10, 2012
He was tall, but slight and avuncular, like a friendly neighbor.
The Last Columbine Mystery
Dave Cullen
February 23, 2010
Historical Examples
Let us whisper it: Did he inherit the avuncular tendency to obesity?
Lippincott’s Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Vol. XII. No. 31. October, 1873.
Various
My secretary had been elevated to avuncular rank after a probation of just three hours.
The Right Stuff
Ian Hay
The time would soon come when the avuncular character would be more difficult to support than that of a rejected absentee.
The Honour of the Clintons
Archibald Marshall
I do not wish to speak of Jennie in a fatherly or avuncular manner.
The Tower of Oblivion
Oliver Onions
Anagram
can uvular
Today’s quote
Boredom always precedes a period of great creativity.
– Robert M. Pirsig
On this day
24 October 1648 – signing of the Treaty of Munster, between the Holy Roman Emperor, France and their respective allies. This treaty was the second in a series of peace treaties known as the Peace of Westphalia which paved the way for the modern sovereign state. The first was the Peace of Munster, signed on 30 January 1648, the third being the Treaty of Osnabruck, signed on 24 October 1648.
24 October 1648 – signing of the Treaty of Osnabruck, between the Holy Roman Emperor, the empire, Sweden and their respective allies. This treaty was the third in a series of peace treaties known as the Peace of Westphalia which paved the way for the modern sovereign state. The first was the Peace of Munster, signed on 30 January 1648, the second being the Treaty of Munster signed on 24 October 1648.
24 October 1929 – Black Thursday, one week before Wall Street’s infamous Black Tuesday and in a harbinger of the impending crash, investors dumped 13 million shares and the market lost 11% in value.
24 October 1930 – birth of Jiles Perry ‘J.P.’ Richardson Jr, otherwise known as the Big Bopper. 1950s rock and roll star, famous for songs such as ‘Chantilly Lace’ and ‘Running Bear’. Died in a plane crash on 3 February 1959 with other musicians, Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the pilot, Roger Peterson. Their deaths were immortalised in the Don McLean song, ‘American Pie’, when he sang about the day the music died.
24 October 1945 – UN Day. The Charter of the United Nations took effect and the United Nations General Assembly declared that it ‘shall be devoted to making known to the peoples of the world the aims and achievements of the United Nations and to gaining their support for its work’.