tío

From Old Portuguese tio, tyo, from Late Latin thius, from Ancient Greek θεῖος (theîos).

tío m (plural tíos, feminine tía, feminine plural tías)

1. uncle

   O meu tío é o irmá da miña nai ou do meu pai.

   My uncle is my mother’s or father’s brother.

   Synonym: titío

2. (colloquial) Unknown male person, dude, guy.

   E ese tío gritoume.

   And that guy yelled at me.

3. mister (title conferred on an adult male)

   Synonym: señor

• (with regard to gender): tía
• (with regard to ancestry): sobriño, sobriña

• tío avó
• tío carnal

From Late Latin thius, from Ancient Greek θεῖος (theîos). Compare Italian zio, Portuguese tio, Sardinian tiu.

• IPA^(key): /ˈtio/, [ˈt̪io]

tío m (plural tíos, feminine tía, feminine plural tías)

1. uncle (the brother of either parent)

   Mi tío es el hermano de mi madre o de mi padre.

   My uncle is my mother’s or father’s brother.

2. (colloquial, Spain) unknown or any male person, dude, guy

   Y ese tío me gritó.

   And that guy yelled at me.

   Synonyms: tipo, gallo (Chile)

3. (colloquial, Spain) friend, mate, pal, man, bro

   Tío, ¿me puedes ayudar por un momento?

   Can you help me for a moment, mate.

   Synonym: cuate (Mexico)

4. mister (title conferred on an adult male)

   Synonym: señor

The noun tío is like several other Spanish nouns with a human referent. The masculine forms are used when the referent is known to be male, a group of males, a group of mixed or unknown gender, or an individual of unknown or unspecified gender. The feminine forms are used if the referent is known to be female or a group of females.

• (with regard to gender): tía
• (with regard to ancestry): sobrino, sobrina

• tío abuelo
• tío carnal
• tío político

• “tío” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.