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 new till the 15th century; this represents the Teutonic branch, cf . Ger . Neffe, Dutch neef; the ultimate root is seen in the cognate Gr. i4lro&es, " descendants," ave,/aos, " kinsman," and Sans. napat, napt, " descendants " or " descendant." The correlative " niece," the daughter of a brother or sister, is from Fr. niece, 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 .