Log in or Sign up
  1. nepotism love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. Favoritism shown or patronage granted to relatives, as in business.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. Favoritism shown to nephews and other relatives; patronage bestowed in consideration of family relationship and not of merit. The word was invented to characterize a propensity of the popes and other high ecclesiastics in the Roman Catholic Church to aggrandize their family by exorbitant grants or favors to nephews or relatives.

Wiktionary

  1. n. The favoring of relatives or personal friends because of their relationship rather than because of their abilities.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. Undue attachment to relations; favoritism shown to members of one's family; bestowal of patronage in consideration of relationship, rather than of merit or of legal claim.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. favoritism shown to relatives or close friends by those in power (as by giving them jobs)

Etymologies

  1. From Italian nepotismo, from Latin nepōs ("nephew"), a reference to the practice of popes appointing relatives (most often nephews) as cardinals during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. (Wiktionary)
  2. French népotisme, from Italian nepotismo, from nepote, nephew, from Latin nepōs, nepōt-; see nepōt- in Indo-European roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

Show 10 more examples...

Lists

These user-created lists contain the word ‘nepotism’.

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • djsalinger My mum told me what this word meant in the car today.
    We were playing a number plate game where you have to make a true statement out of the three grouped letters. It was a good drive. May 25, 2009

  • qroqqa Ultimately from Latin nepotem "grandson, descendant" (nom. nepos), later also "nephew, niece", giving Italian nipote "nephew, niece". In Italian the practice was originally styled nipotismo as well as the current nepotismo. Sep 16, 2008

  • bilby nipote, rather. Sep 16, 2008

  • koldewyse From the Italian for "nephew," nepoti. Sep 16, 2008

  • inkhorn Actually I was referring to the Stroger clan, but now that Daley's running for mayor again, I guess we all have to go through the motions, right? Dec 14, 2006

  • seanahan All Hail Lord Daley. Dec 13, 2006

  • inkhorn The primary means of political promotion in Chicago. Dec 13, 2006

Tweets

Looking for tweets for nepotism.

‘nepotism’ has been looked up 4629 times, loved by 8 people, added to 69 lists, commented on 7 times, and has a Scrabble score of 12.