nephew

[ nef-yoo or, especially British, nev-yoo ]
See synonyms for nephew on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a son of one's brother or sister.

  2. a son of one's spouse's brother or sister.

  1. an illegitimate son of a clergyman who has vowed celibacy (used as a euphemism).

  2. Obsolete. a direct descendant, especially a grandson.

  3. Obsolete. a remote male descendant, as a grandnephew or cousin.

Origin of nephew

1
1250–1300; Middle English neveu<Old French <Latin nepōtem, accusative of nepōs nephew, grandson; akin to Old English nefa,Dutch neef,German Neffe,Old Norse nefi; the pseudo-etymological spelling with ph has influenced pronunciation

Words Nearby nephew

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use nephew in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for nephew

nephew

/ (ˈnɛvjuː, ˈnɛf-) /


noun
  1. a son of one's sister or brother

Origin of nephew

1
C13: from Old French neveu, from Latin nepōs; related to Old English nefa, Old High German nevo relative

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012