The Basics

Before getting into third cousin once removed, its good to understand the common terms. Please have a look at the following table.
H = W | ----------------------| B0(M)=Z0(F) | B1 | B2 | etc. | C0(F) | C1 | C2 | etc.

H and W (a husband and wife) are the common ancestors of this family. B0 and C0 are theson and daughter (children) of H and W, and H and W are the father and mother (parents) of B0 and C0. B1 and C1 are the grandchildren (grandsons andgradddaughters) of H and W, and H and W are therefore the grandparents (grandfatherand grandmother) of B1 and C1.

Aunt, Uncle, Niece, Nephew

There are standard words for collateral relationships, where neither person is directly descended from the other. B0 and C0 are brother and sister, or more generically siblings. Going down one generation, on one side only, we have four common relationships: B0 is C1s uncle. Most English speakers use uncle for any of four relationships: fathers brother, mothers brother, fathers sisters husband, or mothers sisters husband. C0 is B1s aunt. Again, aunt in English could mean your fathers sister, mothers sister, fathers brothers wife, or mothers brothers wife. Most people would say Z0 is also C1s aunt. C1 is the niece or nephew of B0; most people would say C1 is also the niece or nephew of Z0.

Children of your aunt or uncle are your first cousins. More generally, B1 and C1, and all their descendants, are cousins to each other

Terms Involving In-law

There are several of these, but most give little difficulty to native speakers. Any relationship term ending with -in-law indicates that the relationship is by marriage and not by blood; in other words, one of us is a blood relative of the others spouse. If I want to refer collectively to the blood relatives of my spouse, I can call them my in-laws". Sometimes this term means just my spouses parents; other times it can mean any group of my spouses relatives. In-law relationship terms are always written with hyphens, by the way. And the plural is formed on the part before the -in-law; for example, brothers-inlaw and not brother-in-laws. The only exception is the general term in-laws, which is always plural.

Father-, Mother-, Son-, and Daughter-in-Law

My father-in-law is the father of my spouse; my mother-in-law is the mother of my spouse. If my own parents get divorced and remarry, their new spouses are my stepparents, not my mother-in-law and father-in-law. The husband of my daughter is my son-in-law; the wife of my son is my daughter-in-law. If my spouse has children from a previous marriage, those are my stepchildren, not sons-in-law or daughters-in-law. I am their stepfather or stepmother, not their father-in-law or mother-in-law. In these days of more fluid relationships, it is becoming more common to say daughter-in-law of the woman my son or daughter has lived with for a long time. On the one hand, thats a nice way of recognizing long-term relationships that dont involve a traditional marriage. On the other hand, its a bit confusing to use the term in-LAW for relationships that are not recognized by law.

Brother-in-Law, Sister-in-Law
These are the only really tricky in-law terms. Brother-in-law and sister-in-law each have two or three meanings. All authorities agree on the first two meanings, but there is some controversy about the third (and I personally dont accept it). My sister-in-law could be: 1. the sister of my spouse, or 2. the wife of my brother, or

3. the wife of my spouses brother. (This meaning is accepted by The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (Third Edition, 1992), but not by all authorities.) Similarly, my brother-in-law could be 1. the brother of my spouse, or 2. the husband of my sister, or 3. the husband of my spouses sister. (This meaning is accepted by The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (Third Edition, 1992), but not by all authorities.) Consider the following example: Al marries Betty; Betty has a sister Bonnie, who marries Calvin.
Harry = Sally | + -------------------| Al = Betty | Bonnie = Calvin

The siblings-in-law: Al is Bonnies brother-in-law (definition 2), and Bonnie is Als sisterin-law (definition 1); Betty is Calvins sister-in-law (definition 1), and Calvin is Bettys brother-in-law (definition 2). So much is agreed. The question is, are Al and Calvin brothers-in-law (definition 3)? Someone once wrote to Ann Landers, the advice columnist, describing this situation. Ann replied: You are no relation; you are just two men who married sisters. Though I agree with Ann on this one, I admit that its awkward for Al to refer to Calvin as my wifes brother-in-law or my sister-in-laws husband. Probably thats why Al might refer to Calvin as my brother-in-law.