# nepotism

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈnɛp.ə.tɪ.zəm/ · frequency rank #31,674

## Definitions
1. The favoring of relatives (most strictly) or also personal friends (more broadly) because of their relationship rather than because of their abilities.

## Etymology
Borrowed from French népotisme, 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.

## Common misspellings (12)
`enpotism`, `neoptism`, `nepoitsm`, `nepotims`, `nepotismm`, `nepotissm`, `nepotsim`, `nepottism`, `neppotism`, `neptoism`, `nnepotism`, `npeotism`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/nepotism