Aunt


An aunt is a person who is the sister of a parent. Aunts are second-degree and share 25% genetic overlap when they are the full sister of one of the biological parents. Known alternate terms include Auntie or Aunty. A half-aunt is a half-sister of a parent and is a third-degree relative with 12.5% genetic overlap. An aunt-in-law is a wife of one's uncle, direct genetic overlap will typically be 0%, as this person entered the family through marriage and typically is not a blood relative. An aunt-in-law can also be an aunt of one's spouse.
The male counterpart of an aunt is an uncle, and the reciprocal relationship is that of a nephew or niece.
A great-aunt/grandaunt is the sister of one's grandparent. Despite popular use to the contrary, genealogists consider it more correct to use grandaunt for a grandparent's sister to avoid confusion with earlier generations. Similarly, the female siblings of one's great-grandparents are referred to as great-grandaunts.