Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian neva nephew, Middle Dutch neve , neef grandson, nephew (Dutch neef nephew), Old Saxon nevo nephew (Middle Low German neve male (blood) relative, nephew, grandson), Old High German nevo , nefo grandson, male relative, male descendant, nephew (Middle High German neve , nefe nephew, male relative, German Neffe nephew), Old Icelandic nefi nephew, kinsman, and further with Sanskrit napāt descendant, grandson, Avestan and Old Persian napāt grandson, classical Latin nepōt- , nepōs grandson (see nephew n.), Early Irish (in an ogham inscription, genitive) niotta , Early Irish nia , niath sister's son (Irish nia nephew), Lithuanian nepuotis grandson, granddaughter, and perhaps ancient Greek νέποδες (plural) offspring. Compare Anglo-Norman and Old French neveu nephew n.Sense 3 reflects the corresponding sense of classical Latin nepōs ; compare nephew n. 2c. On the difficulty of ascertaining the precise degree of relationship denoted by the word in Old English see further J. Hoops Ae. nefa (Zur Sachsenchronik a. 534) in Englische Studien (1935) 70 429–31, and K. A. Lowe Never say nefa again in Neuphilologische Mitteilungen (1993) 94 27–35. In Old English the prefixed form genefa is also attested.

Etymology: < French †neve(1611 in Cotgrave) or its etymon classical Latin naevus naevus n.