definitions

nephew

[ nef-yoo or, esp. British, nev-yoo ]
/ ˈnɛf yu or, esp. British, ˈnɛv yu /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR nephew ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

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RELATED WORDS

father, brother, son, guy, fellow, husband, he, sibling, mother, cousin, folk, uncle, niece, aunt, sir, beau, gentleman, grandfather, papa, swain

Nearby words

nephanalysis, nephele, nepheline, nephelinite, nephelometer, nephew, nepho-, nephogram, nephograph, nephology, nephometer

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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples 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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012