niece

[nees]

noun

1. a daughter of a person's brother or sister.

2. a daughter of a person's spouse's brother or sister.

niece

/ niːs /

noun

1. a daughter of one's sister or brother

Word History and Origins

Origin of niece¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English nece, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin neptia (unrecorded), from Latin neptis “granddaughter”; replacing Middle English nifte, Old English nift; cognate with Old Frisian, Old High German nift, Dutch nicht, Old Norse nipt; akin to Lithuanian neptė̃, Sanskrit naptī; nephew

Word History and Origins

Origin of niece¹

C13: from Old French niece granddaughter, ultimately from Latin neptis granddaughter

Example Sentences

Thirty years ago, she held a party on the eve of her niece’s first day of kindergarten.

From Salon

"He was a beloved brother, loving uncle to his four nieces and one nephew and a cherished cousin," his family added.

From BBC

I have many nephews and many nieces and they’re all geniuses.

From Los Angeles Times

“It’s affecting my nephew and nieces. It’s affecting my sister. But it’s not just affecting her household. It’s affecting my household.”

From Los Angeles Times

“My little baby nieces … firsthand witnesses to history.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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

When To Use

Spelling tips for niece

The word niece is hard to spell because it can be hard to remember the order of the i and e. Sometimes people want to spell it neice, which is incorrect.How to spell niece: The easiest way to remember how to spell niece is with the classic mnemonic device: “I before E, except after C."