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nephew

 - 3 dictionary results

neph⋅ew

  [nef-yoo or, especially Brit., nev-yoo]
Use nephew in a Sentence
–noun
1. a son of one's brother or sister.
2. a son of one's spouse's brother or sister.
3. an illegitimate son of a clergyman who has vowed celibacy (used as a euphemism).
4. Obsolete. a direct descendant, esp. a grandson.
5. Obsolete. a remote male descendant, as a grandnephew or cousin.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME neveu < OF < L nepōtem, acc. of nepōs nephew, grandson; akin to OE nefa, D neef, G Neffe, ON nefi; the pseudo-etymological sp. with ph has influenced pron.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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neph·ew   (něf'yōō)   
n.  

  1. A son of one's brother or sister or of the brother or sister of one's spouse.

  2. The illegitimate son of an ecclesiastic who has taken a vow of celibacy.


[Middle English neveu, nepheu, from Old French nevo, neveu, from Latin nepōs; see nepōt- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

nephew 
c.1297, from O.Fr. neveu (O.N.Fr. nevu) "grandson, descendant," from L. nepotem (nom. nepos) "sister's son, grandson, descendant," in post-Augustan L., "nephew," from PIE *nepot- "grandchild," and in a general sense, "male descendant other than son" (cf. Skt. napat "grandson, descendant," O.Pers. napat- "grandson," O.Lith. nepuotis "grandson," O.E. nefa, Ger. Neffe "nephew," O.Ir. nia, gen. niath "son of a sister"). Used in Eng. in all the classical senses until meaning narrowed in 17c., and also as a euphemism for "the illegitimate son of an ecclesiastic" (1587).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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