nephew

B1 Topic:Family & Relationships

Also spelled Nevvy

US /ˈnɛf.ju/ UK /ˈnɛv.ju/ See IPA manual

Freq #3192

Meanings

1

noun
The son of your brother or sister.

My nephew is coming to stay with us this summer.

Thesaurus

Word family

Forms nephews

Derived forms cardinal-nephewgrandnephewgreat-great-nephewgreat-nephewhalf-nephewnephew-in-lawnephewishnephewlessnephewlynephewshipnevvyniefling

Related forms nepotism neve niecenift

Simplified etymology

Nephew came into Middle English through Old French neveu from Latin nepos, which could mean either “nephew” or “grandson.” Accordingly, English nephew could originally also refer to a grandson.

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-…

nevew Middle English neveu Old French nepos Latin *nepōts Proto-Italic *népōts Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Family & Relationships

External links

# nephew

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈnɛf.ju/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈnɛv.ju/
**Frequency rank:** 3192

## Meanings
1. The son of your brother or sister.

## Examples
- My nephew is coming to stay with us this summer.

## Derived Forms
- cardinal-nephew
- grandnephew
- great-great-nephew
- great-nephew
- half-nephew
- nephew-in-law
- nephewish
- nephewless
- nephewly
- nephewship
- nevvy
- niefling

## Related Forms
- nepotism
- neve
- niece
- nift

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: nevew
- Root: neveu
- Root: nepos
- Root: *nepōts
- Root: *népōts

## 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-…

## AI Etymology
Nephew comes 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). Modern senses include the son of your brother or sister. The wider word family includes derivatives such as cardinal-nephew, grandnephew, great-great-nephew, great-nephew, half-nephew, and nephew-in-law and related forms such as nepotism, neve, niece, and nift.

## Topics
- Family & Relationships

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