Where does “niece” come from?
Niece comes from Middle English nece, from Old French nice, from Latin nescius meaning ignorant, derived from the prefix ne- and the root sek- meaning to cut or separate.
niece (English): A daughter of one’s sibling, brother-in-law, or...
Definitions
- A daughter of one’s sibling, brother-in-law, or...
Ancestry of “niece”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | nece | A niece; A woman member of one's family or... |
| 2 | Old French | nice | simple, foolish |
| 3 | Latin | nescius | unaware, ignorant; not knowing how, unable |
| 4 | Latin | nesciō | to not know, to be ignorant, to not understand |
| 5 | Latin | sciō | to be able to, to know, understand, to have practical knowledge |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sḱēy- | to shine; to shimmer; shadow; luster, gloss,... |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | skaidą | separation, distinction |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | skÁit- | to cut, part, spearate, divide; to cut, part,... |