ਜੇਠ

What does Jeth mean in Punjabi? Jeth (ਜੇਠ) is the Punjabi word for a husband's elder brother, one kind of brother-in-law in English. Punjabi names this relation exactly, by family side and by age: the husband's elder brother is jeth, his younger brother is deor, and his sister is nanan.

What does Jeth mean in Punjabi?

A jeth is seen from the wife's side of the family. When a woman marries, her husband's elder brother becomes her jeth, a senior relation in her new home. English puts him under the wide label brother-in-law, which also covers a wife's brother and a sister's husband. Punjabi keeps those apart, so this one word tells you whose brother he is and that he is the elder one.

How is a Jeth treated in the family?

In a Punjabi home the jeth is an elder, and the word carries the respect that goes with seniority. Guides to Punjabi relationship names note that these in-law terms mark both respect and familiarity, that brothers-in-law help one another with family responsibilities, and that the naming system itself reflects respect and hierarchy in the family. A younger sister-in-law therefore speaks to a jeth as a senior of the household. His wife has her own title, jethani (ਜੇਠਾਣੀ), the wife of the husband's elder brother.

What is the difference between Jeth, Deor and Saala?

The three words split English brother-in-law by family side and by age. Jeth is the husband's elder brother and deor (ਦਿਉਰ) is the husband's younger brother. One man can be both at once: to his elder brother's wife he is deor, and to his younger brother's wife he is jeth. Saala (ਸਾਲ਼ਾ) is different again, because it names a wife's brother, seen from the husband's side. Together with nanan (ਨਨਾਣ) for a husband's sister and bhabhi (ਭਾਬੀ) for a brother's wife, these words map the whole in-law family.