Family titles - etymology

[FloChi]

We are all familiar with the usual family titles, mother, father, aunt, uncle, step-brother, foster-sister, second cousin, etc.

My problem is that my brother had a child with a woman from a 5 month relationship. They broke up while she was pregnant. Now I have a nephew. But what do I call her? My nephew's mother is rather cumbersome. To people who know her I use her name. But when describing something and I need to define her relationship to me, how do I do that?

Also, what do I call the other aunts and uncles of my nephew. Sisters/Brothers-in-law don't work as they were never legally bonded (married or de facto).

Are there any words out there which can satisfy? If not, which new words do you suggest. I am sure that I am not the only one in this quandry.

Thankyou for any responses;
FloChi

[Spritle]

... my brother had a child with a woman... broke up while she was pregnant... what do I call her?

Must... hold... back... Must... refrain...

I think "my nephew's mother" is fine. Beat's the heck out of "My brother's son's mother".

[FloChi]

Thanks Spritle, That's what I have been using. I was just wandering if there was something I could use as when I start saying "my nephews grandmother/aunt" that things start getting clunky - I could be referring to myself or my sister.

On a slightly similar note, if my brother were to marry this woman, the mother would be my sister in law (the woman he married), and would her brothers/sisters be my brothers/sisters-in-law? Just curious.

DOes anyone else have any ideas - opportunities to create new words.

FloChi

PS - I may be naive, but I don't get what you were holding back. Apart from single mother or slut I don't know.

[BobT]

You call your sister-in-law's siblings by whatever name you want, but they aren't in-laws to you. They are not related to you in anyway.

I call my sister-in-law's sister "Rebecca". It seems to work.

[roryaxis]

Back a few years centuries, there was the word 'cousin' used to describe any sort of relation outside of the basic unit, but today it's sort of been narrowed down to mean, well, what we would call cousins.
And, back a few decades, there was the word 'kin' which had the same general meaning as the archaic definition of cousin.
So, if you want to sound like you're from rural Arkansas, go with kin, if you want to sound like some sort of literary character, use cousin.
Or, think about it this way, the English language has over a million words, what's one more in the mix? Make up your own, see if you can get in the Websters, it'll be fun.

[Captain Amazing]

Originally posted by FloChi
PS - I may be naive, but I don't get what you were holding back. Apart from single mother or slut I don't know.

I think Spritle was trying to refrain from flaming your brother because he got a woman pregnant then broke up with her when she was. It's just a guess, though.

[FloChi]

Originally posted by Captain Amazing
I think Spritle was trying to refrain from flaming your brother because he got a woman pregnant then broke up with her when she was. It's just a guess, though.

Actually, she broke up with him. He only started giving up trying to win her back when my nephew was 6 months old.

And so I am going to try to introduce the terms - sismum(mother of my nephew) and brodad(father of my niece) and so forth, what do you reckon?