nephew

American  

[nef-yoo, nev-yoo] / ˈnɛf yu, ˈnɛv yu /

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 British  

/ ˈnɛf-, ˈnɛvjuː /

noun

1. a son of one's sister or brother

---

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

Rose has been taking care of her beloved nephew.

From The Wall Street Journal

I’ll cook food depending on who all’s coming over — my nephews and various friends and so on.

From Los Angeles Times

John Shaw, Magnus’s deputy, is a brute and a bully; Abel Walker, Magnus’s nephew, is a young innocent; Tom Hearn is a sailor who trained as a cleric and speaks the indigenous languages.

From The Wall Street Journal

MW: I go down to Texas to work with my nephew Poncho.

From Los Angeles Times

It was built by the Arctic explorer Rear Admiral Sir John Ross, whose nephew James Clark Ross would later discover the magnetic North Pole.

From BBC

Related Words

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