Un"cle (?), n. [OE. uncle, OF. oncle, uncle, F. oncle, fr. L. avunculus a maternal uncle, dim. of avus a grandfather; akin to Lith. avynas uncle, Goth. aw&?; grandmother, Icel. Ai great grandfather.]
1.
The brother of one's father or mother; also applied to an aunt's husband; -- the correlative of aunt in sex, and of nephew and niece in relationship.
2.
A pawnbroker. [Slang] Thackeray.
My uncle, a pawnbroker. [Slang] --
Uncle Sam, a humorous appellation given to the United States Government. See Uncle Sam, in Dictionary of Noted Names in Fiction.
© Webster 1913
Un"cle, n.
An eldery man; -- used chiefly as a kindly or familiar appellation, esp. (Southern U. S.) for a worthy old negro; as, "Uncle Remus." [Colloq.]
Plain old uncle as he [Socrates] was, with his great ears, -- an immense talker.
Emerson.
© Webster 1913