# Generic word for nephews and nieces

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/generic-word-for-nephews-and-nieces/237647>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 1, 2004, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/generic-word-for-nephews-and-nieces/237647 "2004-04-01T02:10:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 9\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2004, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/generic-word-for-nephews-and-nieces/237647/1 "2004-04-01T02:10:22Z")

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Having just become an uncle for the fourth time, I have been wondering whether there is a generic noun of common gender to describe nephews and nieces, akin to the usage of “sibling” for a brother/sister or “spouse” for a husband/wife ?

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**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2004, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/generic-word-for-nephews-and-nieces/237647/2 "2004-04-01T02:16:33Z")

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It’s a very obscure word, but _nepotati_ means that. (It’s from the Latin _nepote_, meaning nephew [and the root of ‘nepotism’].) Unfortunately nobody would know what you were talking about.

In genealogy descendants of siblings are referred to as “collateral descendants”, but that takes just as much breath as saying “my nephews and nieces”.

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**Author:** ![Wikkit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c0e974/32.png) [@Wikkit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wikkit)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2004, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/generic-word-for-nephews-and-nieces/237647/3 "2004-04-01T02:44:27Z")

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Very obscure would be no one knowing it, but that word isn’t in any of the dictionaries I looked at. Where did you find it? Are you sure it’s been used in the english language?

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**Author:** ![pasunejen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/58956e/32.png) [@pasunejen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pasunejen)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2004, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/generic-word-for-nephews-and-nieces/237647/4 "2004-04-01T03:19:31Z")

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The OED online lists an adjectival form of the word (_nepotal_, a.: Of, relating to, of the nature of, or characteristic of a nephew or nephews.), but no equivalent noun form. The closest it gets is _nepote_ or _nepos_, but both are obscure and only relate to nephews/male grandchildren. _Nepotati_ doesn’t show up. So it doesn’t look like we’re getting anywhere from that root.

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**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2004, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/generic-word-for-nephews-and-nieces/237647/5 "2004-04-01T04:32:53Z")

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Kin, but that might be too broad.

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**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2004, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/generic-word-for-nephews-and-nieces/237647/6 "2004-04-01T04:37:51Z")

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I call mine “neflings”; I can’t remember what language I got that from, but it fits.

Now if I just knew a word for aunts and uncles.

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**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2004, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/generic-word-for-nephews-and-nieces/237647/7 "2004-04-01T17:12:28Z")

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In my family, we’ve always called them “niblings”.

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**Author:** ![giftedest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7c8e57/32.png) [@giftedest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/giftedest)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2004, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/generic-word-for-nephews-and-nieces/237647/8 "2004-04-01T17:51:00Z")

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I’ve been using “niecephews” for years and never have anyone not know what I was talking about.

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**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/generic-word-for-nephews-and-nieces/237647/9 "2004-04-02T00:43:25Z")

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> [@giftedest](#):
>
> never have anyone not know what I

I think **Never Have I Because I** should change his name to this.