gendre

Gendre is a French noun meaning the husband of one’s child, i.e., a son-in-law. The term designates the man who becomes part of a family through marriage to their child. The corresponding in-law of the daughter is called the belle-fille, or daughter-in-law; there is no feminine form of gendre itself.

Etymology and history: The word gendre derives from Old French gendre, which in turn comes from the Latin gener- meaning son-in-law. The term has long been used in French to describe the relationship created by marriage between a couple and their spouse’s parent generation.

Usage and social context: Gendre is a standard family term used in everyday speech as well as in genealogical or historical writing. Possession is expressed with the appropriate determiner: mon gendre (my son-in-law), ton gendre (your son-in-law), son gendre (his/her son-in-law). The plural is gendres, as in leurs gendres (their sons-in-law). While the term carries no legal status beyond kinship, it frequently appears in discussions of family dynamics, etiquette, and cultural representations of in-law relationships.

Notable usage: In literature and media, phrases such as gendre idéal (ideal son-in-law) are common, often used humorously or aspirationally to comment on expectations for marital alliances within families.

See also: Belle-fille (daughter-in-law), beau-père (father-in-law), belle-mère (mother-in-law). For translations, the English equivalent is son-in-law.