Nephew
/ˈnɛf.juː/noun
A son of one’s brother or sister, or of one’s brother-in-law or sister-in-law.
Did you know?Nephew comes through Old French from Latin nepōtem, and the same ancient root also gave us words for a grandson and even the strangely related “nepotism,” the old idea of favoring family.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*nepōt-
“grandson; descendant; nephew”
Latin
Latin
nepōs / nepōtem
“grandson; descendant; nephew”
Old French
Old French
neveu
“nephew; grandson”
Middle English
English
nevew / neveu
“nephew; grandson”
Modern English
English
nephew
“the son of one’s sibling”