Where does “great-great-nephew” come from?
great-great-nephew (English) comes from English great-nephew, from English nephew, from Middle English nevew, from Old French neveu, from Latin nepōs, from Proto-Italic nepōts, from Proto-Indo-European népōts — grandson; descendant; nephew.
Ancestry of “great-great-nephew”, step by step
great-great-nephew traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English great-nephew
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | great-nephew | — |
| 2 | English | nephew | A son of one's sibling, brother-in-law, or... |
| 3 | Middle English | nevew | A nephew; A grandson or granddaughter; Any other... |
| 4 | Old French | neveu | nephew; grandson |
| 5 | Latin | nepōs | — |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | nepōts | grandson; nephew |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | népōts | grandson; descendant; nephew |
via English Great
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Great | Taking much space; large |
| 2 | Middle English | grete | great; massive; amazing |
| 3 | Old English | grēat | great, large; big, thick, coarse, massive |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | graut | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | grautaz | coarse, crude; big, large |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰer- | to yearn for; to enclose; bowels, intestines |