nepotism
/ˈnɛp.ə.tɪ.zəm/ noun
Forms nepotisms
- noun The favoring of relatives (most strictly) or also personal friends (more broadly) because of their relationship rather than because of their abilities. “Nepotism can get you very far in the world if you've got the right connections.”
Antonyms
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 (cardinal-nephew) during the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
Webster’s 1913
- noun 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.
Etymology [L. nepus, nepotus, nephew: cf. F. népotisme. See Nephew.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “nepotism”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details