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

Rebecca Richards, Christine Thomas' niece, described her aunt as a loving and lively person who enjoyed music and dancing, and who was missed by all who knew her.

Read more on BBC

"My six-year old niece asked me what it's like to be in school," Sana says.

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

Read more on Salon

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

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

Read more on 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."