nephew
Americannoun
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a son of one's brother or sister.
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a son of one's spouse's brother or sister.
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an illegitimate son of a clergyman who has vowed celibacy (used as a euphemism).
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Obsolete. a direct descendant, especially a grandson.
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Obsolete. a remote male descendant, as a grandnephew or cousin.
noun
Etymology
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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She described her nephew, who is enrolled in an art school in Milan, as a beautiful boy and an excellent painter.
From BBC
He left behind a seminal 37-volume encyclopedia, the “Natural History,” and the surviving letters of his nephew paint a colorful portrait of a workaholic who rarely slept.
Her nephew found her after hearing a loud bang, and called 911, according to autopsy reports.
From Los Angeles Times
For example, after finding a box of old books, she claimed that her nephews had put the books there.
From MarketWatch
What started as a way to bond with my anime-loving teenage nephew became a full-blown obsession in which I powered through all four seasons, its OVAs and movies.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
