tío
Galician
Etymology
From Old Portuguese tio, tyo, from Late Latin thius, from Ancient Greek θεῖος (theîos).
Noun
Derived terms
- tío avó
- tío carnal
Spanish
Etymology
From Late Latin thius, from Ancient Greek θεῖος (theîos). Compare Italian zio, Portuguese tio, Sardinian tiu.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈtio/, [ˈt̪io]
Noun
tío m (plural tíos, feminine tía, feminine plural tías)
- uncle (the brother of either parent)
- Mi tío es el hermano de mi madre o de mi padre.
- My uncle is my mother’s or father’s brother.
- (colloquial, Spain) unknown or any male person, dude, guy
- (colloquial, Spain) friend, mate, pal, man, bro
- Tío, ¿me puedes ayudar por un momento?
- Can you help me for a moment, mate.
- Synonym: cuate (Mexico)
- mister (title conferred on an adult male)
- Synonym: señor
Usage notes
The noun tío is like several other Spanish nouns with a human referent. The masculine forms are used when the referent is known to be male, a group of males, a group of mixed or unknown gender, or an individual of unknown or unspecified gender. The feminine forms are used if the referent is known to be female or a group of females.
Derived terms
- tío abuelo
- tío carnal
- tío político
Further reading
- “tío” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.
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