nevvy

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Possibly from neve and/or nephew +‎ -y, but compare (now mostly obsolete) widespread dialectal forms such as /ˈɑːɡi/, /ˈɑɹɡi/ argy (“argue”) and /ˈvali/, /ˈvæli/ vally (“value”) with /i/ for unstressed standard English /juː/.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈnɛvi/

Noun

nevvy (plural nevvies)

  1. (colloquial, UK dialectal) A nephew.
    • 1860, George Eliot, chapter VI, in The Mill on the Floss, Edinburgh: William Blackwood and Sons:
      What signifies your sisters’ bits o’ money when they’ve got half-a-dozen nevvies and nieces to divide it among?
  2. (UK dialectal) A grandson.
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