nephew
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nephew¹
- /ˈnɛf.ju/
- /ˈnɛv.ju/ UK, dated
Where it comes from
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). Doublet of neve.
Spelt with -ph- by readaptation to Latin nepos since the 15th century, which later triggered the spelling pronunciation with /f/.
noun 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).
Similar: neve
- A son of one's cousin or cousin-in-law
-
A son of one's child.
Hir father many a time and oft would say my daughter deere,
Of Nephewes thou my debtour art, their Graundsires heart to chéere.
Similar: grandson
- Descendant On that day Adam shall see all his nephews together
Nephew²
Where it comes from
English surname, from the noun nephew.
proper noun Nephews
- A surname.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: cousin, brother, grandson, kin, grandchild, ibn, neveu, sobrino, nibling, neve, nepos, kinsman, sororal nephew, niece, neph, nephew-in-law
Translations
Every language
noun fraternal or sororal nephew — see also fraternal nephew, sororal nephew
| Español | sobrino |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 조카 joka |
| 日本語 | 甥 oi |
| 中文 | 姪 /侄 zhí, 姪子 /侄子 zhízǐ, 外甥 wàishēng |
| हिन्दी | भतीजा bhatījā, भांजा bhāñjā |
| Kiswahili | mpwa |
| Português | sobrinho |
| Français | neveu |
| Deutsch | Neffe |
| Italiano | nipote |
| Ελληνικά | ανιψιός anipsiós |
| Română | nepot |
| Русский | племя́нник plemjánnik, племя́ш plemjáš |
| Tiếng Việt | cháu trai |
| العربية | اِبْنُ أَخٍ ibnu ʔaḵin, اِبْنُ أُخْتٍ ibnu ʔuḵtin |
| עברית | אחיין, אַחְיָן akhyán |
Talk about this word "nephew." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/nephew. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. nephew. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/nephew "nephew." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/nephew.Cite this
@misc{nephew_2026,
title = {nephew},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/nephew},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
