niece
pronunciation
How to pronounce niece in British English:
UK [niːs]
How to pronounce niece in American English:
US [niːs]
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- Noun:
- a daughter of your brother or sister
Word Origin
- niece
- niece: [13] Niece comes ultimately from *neptī-, the feminine form of Indo-European *nepōt- (source of English nephew). This passed into Latin as neptis ‘granddaughter, niece’, which in post-classical times became *neptia. Old French took it over as niece – whence English niece. *Neptī- also had a Germanic descendant, *niptiz, which now survives only in German nichte and Dutch nicht ‘niece’.=> nephew
- niece (n.)
- c. 1300, from Old French niece "niece, granddaughter" (12c., Modern French nièce), earlier niepce, from Latin neptia (also source of Portuguese neta, Spanish nieta), a more decidedly feminine form of neptis "granddaughter," in Late Latin "niece," fem. of nepos "grandson, nephew" (see nephew). Replaced Old English nift, from Proto-Germanic *neftiz, from the same PIE root (Old English also used broðordohter and nefene). Until c. 1600, it also commonly meant "a granddaughter" or any remote female descendant. Cognate with Spanish nieta, Old Lithuanian nepte, Sanskrit naptih "granddaughter;" Czech net, Old Irish necht, Welsh nith, German Nichte "niece."
Antonym
Example
- 1. The shopkeeperancieta 's niece was one of those arrested .
- 2. My niece rebecca 's 16th birthday celebration lunch and hike at tallman mountain state park .
- 3. The duke of norfolk presided over his niece 's trial .
- 4. He had a little niece - blue flower .
- 5. His niece studied civil engineering at the university of southern california .