1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Nephew

NEPHEW, the son of a brother or sister. The word is adapted from Fr. neveu, Lat. nepos (originally “grandson” or “descendant”). The O. Eng. nefa survived in the form neve till the 15th century; this represents the Teutonic branch, cf. Ger. Neffe, Dutch neef; the ultimate root is seen in the cognate Gr. νέποδες, “descendants,” ἀνεψιός, “kinsman,” and Sans. napāt, napt, “descendants” or “descendant.” The correlative “niece,” the daughter of a brother or sister, is from Fr. nièce, Lat. neptis, the feminine form of nepos; the O. Eng. word was nift, cf. Ger. Nichte. A euphemistic use of “nephew” is that of the natural son of a pope, cardinal or other ecclesiastic; and from the practice of granting preferments to such children the word “nepotism” is used of any favouritism shown in finding positions for a man’s family.