nephew

Where does the word "nephew" come from? It comes from Latin nepos, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

Nephew’s story begins in Latin: nepos meant “a grandson, a descendant.” A grandson, or more broadly, a descendant. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as neveu. Narrowed in French to mean specifically a sibling's son. It reached English by 1300s as nephew. Settled as the English word for a sibling's son. Today, nephew means the son of one's sibling or sibling-in-law.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient nepos "a grandson, a descendant", a grandson, or more broadly, a descendant.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval neveu "a sibling's son", narrowed in French to mean specifically a sibling's son.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s nephew "the son of one's sibling", settled as the English word for a sibling's son.