nephew
See also: Nephew
English
Etymology
From Middle English nevew, neveu (“nephew, grandson”), from Old French neveu, from Latin nepos, nepōtem, from Proto-Italic *nepōts (“nephew, grandson”), whence also French neveu, Italian nipote. Displaced or absorbed the inherited English neve (“nephew, grandson, male cousin”), from Middle English neve, from Old English nefa, from Proto-West Germanic *nefō, from Proto-Germanic *nefô (“nephew, grandson”), whence Dutch neef, German Neffe. All ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *népōts (“grandchild, sister's son”). Cognate with Serbo-Croatian nećak, Irish nia, Persian نوه (nave).
Spelt with -ph- by readaptation to Latin nepos since the 15th century, which later triggered the spelling pronunciation with /f/.
Pronunciation
- enPR: nĕfʹyo͞o, IPA(key): /ˈnɛf.ju/
- (Received Pronunciation, dated) IPA(key): /ˈnɛv.ju/
Audio (US) (file)
Noun
nephew (plural nephews)
- A son of one's sibling, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law; either a son of one's brother (fraternal nephew) or a son of one's sister (sororal nephew).
- Synonym: (obsolete) neve
- Hypernyms: nephling, nibling
- Hyponyms: fraternal nephew, sororal nephew
- Coordinate terms: niece, nift
- A son of one's cousin or cousin-in-law
- (archaic) A son of one's child.
- Synonym: grandson
- 1567, Ovid, “The First Booke”, in Arthur Golding, transl., The XV. Bookes of P. Ouidius Naso, Entytuled Metamorphosis, […], London: […] Willyam Seres […], →OCLC:
- Hir father many a time and oft would say my daughter deere,
Of Nephewes thou my debtour art, their Graundsires heart to chéere.
Derived terms
Translations
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Middle English
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