nephew
[ nef-yoo or, esp. British, nev-yoo ]
/ ˈnɛf yu or, esp. British, ˈnɛv yu /
noun
a son of one's brother or sister.
a son of one's spouse's brother or sister.
an illegitimate son of a clergyman who has vowed celibacy (used as a euphemism).
Obsolete.
a direct descendant, especially a grandson.
Obsolete.
a remote male descendant, as a grandnephew or cousin.
Origin of nephew
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
nephanalysis,
nephele,
nepheline,
nephelinite,
nephelometer,
nephew,
nepho-,
nephogram,
nephograph,
nephology,
nephometer
Example sentences from the Web for nephew
British Dictionary definitions for nephew
nephew
/ (ˈnɛvjuː, ˈnɛf-) /
noun
a son of one's sister or brother
Word Origin for nephew
C13: from Old French
neveu, from Latin
nepōs; related to Old English
nefa, Old High German
nevo relative