morbröder

Morbröder is the term for the brothers of one's mother, i.e., maternal uncles. In Swedish, it refers specifically to male siblings on the maternal side of the family. The corresponding term for a father's brothers is farbröder (or farbror in some dialects), while the generic word for uncle is farbror or morbror depending on the parental side.

Etymology and forms: The word morbror is formed from mor (mother) and bror (brother). The plural is morbröder, used when referring to more than one maternal uncle. The term is used in everyday speech and in genealogical descriptions to specify the maternal line.

Usage and context: In Swedish, you would say min morbror (my maternal uncle) or mina morbröder (my maternal uncles). Morbröder can play various roles within families, ranging from regular familial contact to more distant relationships, depending on the family. The term helps distinguish maternal lineage from paternal lineage, which would use farbror or farbröder.

Cultural notes: The concept of maternal uncles appears in many Nordic languages with similar terms, reflecting kinship structures where uncles may be involved in extended family networks. The degree of closeness or involvement of morbröder varies widely between families and cultures.

See also: Farbror, Mormor, Morfar, and the general concept of avuncular relationships within Swedish kinship terms.