E 0617          NIECE , NEPHEW

The words " niece " and " nephew are of Germanic origin .

H 0650            (ה ) ד כ נ

Concept of root : young relative

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

(ה )ד כ נ

nekhed, nekhdà

grandson, -daughter

Related English words

niece , nephew

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

(ה )ד כ נ

nekhed, nekhdà

grandson,

-daughter

n . kh . d

English

niece ;

nephew

niece ;

nephew

n . c ;

n . ph (w)

Old English

nift, nefene;

-

-

nefa

-

-

-

nift, néfene

-

-

néfa

-

-

-

niece, granddaughter, stepdaughter ;

nephew, grandson, second cousin, stepson

n . f t ;

n . f

Middle Dutch

nicht, nift, nichte, nifte;

-

neef, neve

-

nicht, nift, nichte, nifte;

-

néf, néve

-

niece, grand-daughter, cousin ;

nephew.grandson, cousin

n . kh t ;

n . f t ;

-

n . f ; n . v .

-

 

 

Hebrew *NEKHED --- *NĬKHT- Proto-Germanic

 

 

For this interesting and basic similarity we refer to our chapter "Younger relatives":(Younger relatives)

 

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic. Probably Proto-Germanic had for the younger male relatives of this entry "*N E V-", derived from an earlier and perhaps not yet Proto-Germanic root that still had a final dental, as "*N PH T". For the female version there probably was both "*N I KHT-" and a later adaptation to the male version in "*N I FT-". In Germanic languages the versions of roots ending in "-FT" possibly were a development out of an earlier "*-KHT".

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. An existing hypothesis is "*nepo-t-er-", which would mean that the vowels "A A" that dominate in the eastern group of Old Indian and Avestan, have subsituted just there an earlier couple "E O". This is possible but not certain.

     

    Old Indian shows two versions, with or withour " R " in "nápāt, náptar- = descendant, grandson" with the female form "naptì, naptrì". The version with "R" can be considered as having introduced that extra consonant under the influence of the large group of names for family members like "patir".

     

    Avestan much like Old Indian, as so often is the case, has "napāt-, naptar- = grandson" and "naptī = granddaughter".

     

    Slavic has a hypothesis of "*netī", similar to Russian Church Slavonic "netijj = son of sister"

     

    Baltic with a hypothesis of "*nepōt-" has Old Lithuanian "nepuotis, nepotis = grandson, nephew" and "nepté = granddaughter".

     

    Celticshows a tendency towards semplification, but in some words the older forms are recognizable. Old Irish "necht = niece", Middle Irish "niä, gen. niath = son of sister (nephew)", that in Cymric is "nei, nai, but with "nith = niece". Cornish nicely says "noin = grandson" and "noith = niece". Breton has "ni; niz = nephew, niece".

     

     

    Indo European probably used the three consonant combination "*N . P . T" . It is uncertain which vowels were used : "*N E P O T" and/or "*N A P A T". As to the combination seen in Germanic languages, with Proto-Germanic "*NICHT-", one remarks that there is such a version also in Celtic. Indo-European probably had the same form seen in Germanic "*N I KHT-"

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. One must take into consideration that indications, names for people towards whom existed relations of kinship, could be more generical than today. This goes also for the predecessors of Hebrew "nekhed". Not many cognates seem to be found, like in Samaritan "neged" and also Ethiopian "nagad" for "family, tribe". So the basis for a hypothesis for Proto-Semitic remains solid , but perhaps with " G " instead of " K " : "* נ ג ד , N G D". Anyhow "* נ כ ד , N K D" with " K/KH" remains quite probable.

 

 

 

 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: Saturday 2 February 2013 at 9.40.21