Seriously, we need to use this one lots!
I've never heard it before, but I've often wanted it.
And how come many people know the parallel word for the other gender?
It's "characteristic of, or like an aunt." So, it's the auntie version of "avuncular."
Because it looks hard to pronounce, unlike avuncular? So we say, "like an aunt" or "aunt-like" instead?
ReplyDeleteOh, that's excellent! A friend always used the made-up word "auntilary," and I sort of adopted it for myself, but now I will use "materteral"!
ReplyDeleteI suspect it hasn't caught on because it is so similar to maternal as well as that our society denigrates the feminine affinity. Everyone knows fraternal and fraternity but not so much with sororal and sorority.
ReplyDeleteI DO like "auntilary"!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, it does look hard to pronounce.
And yes, Janice, I do blame the patriarchy!
Oh, I vote for auntilary! Although it'll be dismissed as some invented word unworthy of the dignity of English... mater-feral? Which is what auto-correct did to my attempt to syllablize it.
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