nephew

[ nef-yooor, especially British, nev-yoo ]

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, especially a grandson.
5. Obsolete. a remote male descendant, as a grandnephew or cousin.

nephew

/ ˈnɛvjuː; ˈnɛf- /

noun

1. a son of one's sister or brother

Word History and Origins

Origin of nephew¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of nephew¹

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

Example Sentences

I coo to my nephew over FaceTime, and when we hang up, I sigh with gratitude that that’s not my life right now.

From Washington Post

Heidi’s husband called Heather to tell her what was happening, and she raced to her sister’s house, where he and her nephew were talking to Heidi on a video chat.

From Washington Post

When I hear this song, it makes me thankful for two of my favorite nephews — Snoop and Pharrell.

From Essence.com

Both of my parents live there, as well as my brother, sister and too-many-to-count aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and second cousins.

From Washington Post

Petitioners and defendants alike paid huge sums to retain lawyers, among them leaders of the Washington bar such as Philip Barton Key, his nephew Francis Scott Key, and future Supreme Court justices Samuel Chase and Gabriel Duvall.

From Washington Post

“Give about two [hours] every day to exercise,” Jefferson instructed his young nephew.

From The Daily Beast

Seven days after receiving the letter from Navarro, Abidogun had yet to break the “bad news” to his brother-in-law and his nephew.

From The Daily Beast

Her mother, brother, and nephew—and her brother-in-law did it, too.

From The Daily Beast

Cardin is the nephew of Senator Ben Cardin and ran with his uncle putting all of his political resources behind him.

From The Daily Beast

His uncle denounced Knausgaard publicly and no longer speaks with his famous nephew.

From The Daily Beast

"Buy something for your wife that-is-to-be," he said to his grand-nephew, as he handed him the folded paper.

From Project Gutenberg

Her nephew stood away, regarding Agnes out of eyes in which she could see a growing fear.

From Project Gutenberg

I gave up my nephew to my country, and I—er—suffered from the shortage of potatoes to an extent that you probably didn't realize.

From Project Gutenberg

The creditors divided among them two thirds, and the family, a sister and a grand-nephew, received the remainder.

From Project Gutenberg

But is not 'nephew' used here, not in the present strict sense, but in the wider sense of young relative?

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• aunt
• cousin
• father
• folk
• mother
• niece
• sibling
• uncle