Kevin
October 2, 2021
Common Questions
Have you ever been confused by the definition of kin? This article will give you all of the knowledge you need on the word kin, including its definition, etymology, synonyms and antonyms, example sentences, and more!
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According to Collins English Dictionary and the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, kin can be used as a noun or an adjective to refer to a relative or someone who is related to you, as well as a family unit or entire family network of relatives. There are many different words, idioms and phrases that come from the word kin, including akin, kind, kindred, kinfolk, kinship, kinsman, kinstate, kinswoman, kith and kin, next of kin, close kin, otakukin, and otherkin. The word kin refers to a group of people that share a common ancestor or is related by marriage. This closest family member might be a spouse, sibling, parent, offspring, and more. People might also refer to their close friends in their primary social group as kin. It is also used in the bible to refer to the kin groups of Ancient Israel, known as the tribes of Israel or Sons of Jacob. Kin is also an internet slang term used in which someone roleplays – and may actually believe – they they are a fictional character such as anime characters in the anime community, or can refer to types of smartphones created by Microsoft that were designed to integrate social media. These were by Sharp and introduced by Verizon in May 2010, per Your Dictionary.
Many different languages also contain words that mean kin. You may notice that many of these translations of kin look and sound similar to the word kin. These are called cognates, which are words in phrases in different languages that look, sound and mean something similar. These are often formed when two words have the same root or language of origin. This list of translations for the word kin is provided by Word Sense.
According to Merriam-Webster, the word kin comes from the Middle English kin, kyn, ken, kun, which stem from the Old English cynn or Old English cyn. This word comes from the Proto-Germanic kunją and Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh. These create cognates in the Middle Dutch kin, Old High German chunni and Old High German kunni, High German kind child, Latin genus kind, Greek genos, Old Norse kyn family Latin gignere, Greek gignesthai, Scots kin, North Frisian kinn, kenn, Dutch kunne, Middle Low German kunne, Gothic kuni, Old Saxon kijn, Greek génos, Danish køn, Swedish kön, Icelandic kyn, Ancient Greek γένος, Sanskrit jánas, and Albanian dhen and chen. Many of these words mean gender, child, or family. This word is of Indo-European roots and West Germanic origin.
There are many different words that a person can use in place of the word kin. These are called synonyms, which are words and phrases that have the same meaning as another word or phrase. Learning synonyms is a great way to expand your English vocabulary or avoid repeating yourself. This list of synonyms of kin is provided by Power Thesaurus.
There are also many different words that mean the opposite of the word kin. These are called antonyms. Learning antonyms is another great way to expand your vocabulary. This list of antonyms of kin is also provided by Power Thesaurus.
Overall, the word kin means family or relatives. This word is of Proto-Germanic and Proto-Indo-European origins.
