BharatNotes Nepotism
noun (uncountable)Usage in a UPSC answer
The persistence of nepotism in public recruitment corrodes the meritocratic ethos of the civil services, eroding citizens' faith in the impartiality of the state and entrenching dynastic privilege at the expense of equality of opportunity.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
nepotist (n.), nepotistic (adj.), nepotistically (adv.), nepotism (n.)
Root
Latin nepōs = nephew; Italian nepotismo; orig. practice of popes appointing nephews as cardinals
Etymology
From French népotisme, from Italian nepotismo, from Latin nepōs ("nephew"); originally referred to the practice of Renaissance-era popes appointing their nephews as cardinals; first recorded in English in 1669 in a diary entry by Samuel Pepys.
Memory Hook
Latin nepos = 'nephew'; picture a powerful uncle handing his NEPHEW a plum government post he never earned — nepotism is "for the nephew".
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