nephew English · revision 10536

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=c. 1300|origins=fro neveu|origins=la nepos}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: UK /ˈnef.juː/, /ˈnev.juː/, US /ˈnef.juː/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|fro|neveu|t=grandson, descendant]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) from [[m|la|nepōs|t=sister's son, grandson, descendant]] (stem nepōt-),^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) cognate with Sanskrit nápāt, Old Lithuanian nepuotis, Old Irish nia, sister's son, and Old English nefa, Dutch neef and German Neffe.^(Hoad 1986)^(MWU 2024)^(NODE 1998) The spelling with ph was taken from the Latin.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The son of one's brother or sister, also a grandson or kinsman: about 1300.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Nephew once covered a wider group of descendants: a grandson (1297, common in the 17th century), a more distant descendant (1387), and even a niece (1494).^(OED 1989)^(Trench 1859) Trench noted that the narrowing to a brother's or sister's son matched the change in Latin nepos, and that the grandson sense still lived in East Anglian speech.^(Trench 1859) From 1587 nephew was a euphemism for a priest's illegitimate son,^(OED 1989) which is behind ''nepotism'', the favour once shown to popes' “nephews”.^(Cresswell 2021)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1297 – a brother's or sister's son; a grandson.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1387 – a descendant.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1494 – a niece (obsolete).^(OED 1989)

+ * 1587 – a cleric's illegitimate son.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A son of one's [[brother]] or [[sister]], or of the brother or sister of one's spouse.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(euphemism)'' The illegitimate son of a celibate [[cleric]].^(AHD)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[grandnephew]]

+ * [[great-nephew]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[nepotism]]

+ * [[niece]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}