Uncle

An uncle is a male relative who is a sibling of a parent or married to a sibling of a parent. Uncles who are related by birth are second-degree relatives. The female counterpart of an uncle is an aunt, and the reciprocal relationship is that of a nephew or niece. The word comes from Latin: avunculus the diminutive of avus "grandfather" and is a family relationship within an extended or immediate family. In some cultures and families, children may refer to the cousins of their parents as aunt or uncle due to the age difference. It is also a title of respect for elders. Using the term in this way is a form of fictive kinship.

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Mars helicopter inventor J Bob Balaram mentions how his Uncle in the 1960's wrote to the U.S. Consulate while in South India, asking for information about NASA and space exploration. The bulging envelope they sent back, stuffed with glossy booklets, entranced young Bob.