LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinethird declension

nepōs1

nepōs m or f (genitive nepōtis)
Classical[ˈnɛ.poːs]Ecclesiastical[ˈnɛː.pos]

Meaning

  1. a grandson
    Et Tyriī comitēs passim et Troiāna iuventūs Dardaniusque nepōs Veneris dīversa per agrōs tēcta metū petiēre [...]. And the Tyrian attendants [rush] here and there, and the youth of Troy – and Venus’s Dardan grandson – [they all] in fear seek separate shelters across the fields. (Venus’s grandson is Ascanius.)29 BCE – 19 BCE, Vergilius, Aeneis 4.162-164
  2. a granddaughter
  3. a nephew
  4. a niece
  5. a descendant
  6. figurativelya spendthrift, prodigal

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

fīlius fīliī aut fīliae
nepōs -ōtis (m) — in Metamorphoses I, ch. 3, 7, 23
fīlius fīliī; posterī
nepōs -ōtis (m) — in Aeneis, ch. 12

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Prodigus · Profusus · Helluo · Nepos

Prodigus and profusus denote prodigality, as a single feature in a man’s character; prodigus (from δέχω?) inasmuch as he regards not the value of money, and neither can nor will carefully put it out to interest, from a genial disposition, as the squanderer; profusus, inasmuch as he thinks nothing too dear, that can minister to his pleasures, from levity of character, as the spendthrift; whereas helluo and nepos denote prodigality as pervading the whole character, which shows itself fully in the quality of prodigality; helluo (from χλιδή) the habitual gourmand and glutton; nepos (ἀναπότης) a young and harebrained prodigal, who runs through his own property and that of his parents. (vi. 286.)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativenepōsnepōtēs
genitivenepōtisnepōtum
dativenepōtīnepōtibus
accusativenepōtemnepōtēs
ablativenepōtenepōtibus
vocativenepōsnepōtēs

nĕpos, ōtis, m. and f. (v. infra) [Sanscr. nap-tar, descendant; Gr. ἀνεψιός, nephew; cf. νέποδες; cf. neptis, Germ. Neffe],
I. a grandson, son's or daughter's son: primo gradu sunt supra pater, mater; infra filius, filia. Secundo gradu sunt supra avus, avia; infra nepos, neptis, Dig. 38, 10, 1; cf.: nepos quoque dupliciter intellegitur, ex filio vel filia natus, ib. 38, 10, 10, § 13; Cic. Deiot. 1, 2: Metellum multi filii, filiae, nepotes, neptes in rogum imposuerunt. id. Tusc. 1, 35, 85: Q. Pompeii ex filiā nepos, id. Brut. 76, 263: M. Catonis censorii ex filio nepos, Gell. 13, 20 (19), 3; Dig. 44, 4, 18: sororis nepos, Tac. A. 4, 44.—
2. For neptis, a granddaughter (ante- and post-class.): Ilia dia nepos, Enn. ap. Charis. p. 70 P. (Ann. v. 56 Vahl.); Inscr. Grut. 477, 5; ib. 678, 11.—
B. Transf.
1. A brother's or sister's son, a nephew (post-Aug.): tres instituit heredes sororum nepotes, Suet. Caes. 83; Hier. Ep. 60, n. 9; Eutr. 7, 1.—
2. In gen., a descendant (poet.): filius an aliquis magnā de stirpe nepotum? Verg. A. 6, 864: in nepotum Perniciem, Hor. C. 2, 13, 3: Caesar, ab Aeneā qui tibi fratre nepos (to Cupid), Ov. P. 3, 3, 62: magnanimos Remi nepotes, Cat. 58, 5; Luc. 7, 207: haec tetigit tuos urtica nepotes, Juv. 2, 128.—
3. A favorite: omnes profecto mulieres te amant ... Py. ... nepos sum Veneris, Plaut. Mil. 4, 6, 50. —
4. Of animals (post-Aug.), Col. 6, 37, 4; 7, 2, 5.—
5. Of plants, a sucker, Col. 4, 10, 2; 4, 6, 5.—
C. Fig., a spendthrift, prodigal (syn.: ganeo, asotus): quis ganeo, quis nepos, quis adulter? Cic. Cat. 2, 4, 7: in populi Romani patrimonio nepos, id. Agr. 1, 1, 2: profusus nepos, id. Quint. 12, 40: quantum simplex hilarisque nepoti Discrepet, Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 193; 1, 15, 36.

Origins

From Proto-Italic *nepōts, from Proto-Indo-European *népōts.

Insular Romance
  • Sardiniannabodi
  • Sardiniannebode
  • Sardiniannebodi
  • Sardiniannepode
  • Sardiniannepote
Balkan Romance
  • Romaniannepot
  • Romaniannepoată
  • Aromaniannipot
  • Aromaniannipoatã
Occitano-Romance
  • Catalannebot
  • Occitannebot
Italo-Romance
  • Italiannipote
  • Sicilianniputi
Later borrowings
  • Portuguesenepote
  • Danishnevø
  • Malteseneputi
Dalmatian
  • unknownnepaut
North Italian
  • Emiliananvod
  • Emiliannvod
  • Emiliannod
  • Emiliannevod
  • Emiliananvåud
  • Friuliannevôt
  • Liguriannêvo
  • Liguriannêu
  • Lombardnèud
  • Lombardnèu
Gallo-Romance
  • Earlynevod
  • Lateneveu
  • Walloonneveu
Ancient borrowings
  • Albaniannip
  • Albaniannipë
  • Albaniannep
  • Etruscannefts
proper noun · masculinethird declension
Nepōs2
Nepōs m sg (genitive Nepōtis)
Classical[ˈnɛ.poːs]Ecclesiastical[ˈnɛː.pos]

Meaning

  1. Cornelius Nepos (circa 110–25 BC), a Roman historian, a friend of Cicero, Atticus, and Calullus, and the author of the work De Viris Illustribus
  2. Flavius Julius Nepos (circa AD 430–480), the penultimate Western Roman Emperor (r. 474/5–480)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeNepōs—
genitiveNepōtis—
dativeNepōtī—
accusativeNepōtem—
ablativeNepōte—
vocativeNepōs—

Nĕpos, ōtis, m.,
I. a surname in the gens Cornelia. So Cornelius Nepos, a Roman historian, the friend of Cicero, Atticus, and Calullus; author of the work De Viris Illustribus, a portion of which is preserved, Gell. 15, 28; Plin. 9, 39, 63, § 137; Plin. Ep. 5, 3, 6; 4, 28, 1.

Origins

Descendants
  • FrenchNépos
  • ItalianNepote

Quick answers

What does nepōs mean in Latin?
nepōs, a noun, means “a grandson; a granddaughter; a nephew”.
What is the genitive of nepōs?
The genitive singular is nepōtis. nepōs is masculine, third declension.
How do you pronounce nepōs?
In classical Latin, [ˈnɛ.poːs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈnɛː.pos].