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Is there a single term for “nieces and nephews”?
Is there a gender-neutral word for [aunts and uncles], parents' siblings?

The non-gender name for 'mother' is 'parent', for 'son' it is 'child'. But is there a non-gender word for 'uncle' or 'aunt'? Or is there no better definition than 'parent-sibling'?

If there is a word I would like to know the inverse as well, i.e. for 'nephew/niece'.

Community
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Mads
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1 Answers1

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Nibling is:

A nephew or niece, especially in the plural or as a gender-neutral term.

I don't think I can help with the other term.

Frantisek
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    That's a cool word; I had never seen it before. I also checked several other dictionary sources, and couldn't find it listed. (I'm not trying to discredit the answer, but I do think it's worth noting that nibling is not a well-known term, and may be considered non-standard or slang). – J.R. Mar 06 '12 at 10:35
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    I agree with J.R. ; this is clearly an attempt to coin a gender-neutral term where one did not exist in normal English. It seems to be understood in specialised anthropological circles, but not outside (the OED has never heard of it). Use with caution, but it's always nice to encounter a new word. – Tim Lymington Mar 06 '12 at 10:48
  • I agree that it is a cool word, but since it's only semi standard, I will write "Nephew/Niece" in my user interface instead of "Nibling". Thanks! – Mads Mar 06 '12 at 10:54
  • I coined it many years ago, but I'm not surprised that other people have done so too! – Colin Fine Mar 06 '12 at 14:52
  • It's a technical term in kinship anthropology, which hasn't made it into the popular lexicon yet. – John Lawler Mar 06 '12 at 16:34