English

Noun

co-father-in-law ‎(plural co-fathers-in-law)

1. the father of one's son- or daughter-in-law; that is, the father-in-law of one's son or daughter, or, the father of one spouse in relation to the parents of the other spouse.

   (in the plural) The relationship between people whose children marry each other; the father of the bride vis-à-vis the father of the groom.

   • 1884, G. A. Grierson, “The Song of Bijai Mal”, in Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, volume 53, page 132–133:

     ‘Hear, O well-read Paṇḍit, my daughter is ready for marriage. Take with you a barber's lad, go forth into the country, and search for a bridegroom. […] Search for a house worthy of my house, and search for a boy worthy of my child. Search for a co-father-in-law worthy of a co-father-in-law.’ […] Up rose the well-read Paṇḍit and said ‘O king, hear my petition. There is a co-father-in-law worthy of you as co-father-in-law. There is a boy worthy of your child. There is a house worthy of your house […] ’

   • 1892, Theodōros Kolokotrōnēs; (trans.) Elizabeth Mayhew Waller Edmonds, Kolokotrones the klepht and the warrior: Sixty years of peril and daring. An autobiography, page 104:

     my old friend […] whom I trusted greatly, because I had taken care of his family in former times, and because he was, as it were, my co-father-in-law, for I had betrothed my daughter to his son.

   • 1996, John W. Freeman, The Metropolitan Opera stories of the great operas, page 208:

     Diègue tries to treat Gormas amicably as his prospective co-father-in-law, but Gormas provokes him with rude remarks and slaps him

Usage notes

• (uncommon) Found primarily in translation. In conversation, the generic "in-law" is generally used, with context left to disambiguate. Once grandchildren are born, the term co-grandfather may be used if the focus is on the relationship through the grandchildren rather than though the married couple.

Synonyms

• co-grandfather

Coordinate terms

• co-mother-in-law
• co-parents-in-law

Related terms

• co-brother-in-law
• co-in-law

Translations