cousin

See also: Cousin

English

Etymology

From Middle English cosyn, from Old French cosin, from Latin cōnsōbrīnus, from com- + sōbrīnus.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈkʌz.n̩/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˈkʌz.ɪn/, /ˈkʌzən/
  • (US, weak vowel merger) IPA(key): [ˈkʰɐz.ən]
    • (file)
  • Rhymes: -ʌzən
  • Homophone: cozen (weak vowel merger)

Noun

cousin (plural cousins)

  1. The child of a person’s uncle or aunt; a first cousin.
    I think my cousin is a good man.
  2. Any relation who is not a direct ancestor or descendant but part of one's extended family; one more distantly related than an uncle, aunt, granduncle, grandaunt, nephew, niece, grandnephew, grandniece, etc.
  3. (obsolete) A title formerly given by a king to a nobleman, particularly to those of the council. In English writs, etc., issued by the crown, it signifies any earl.
    • Shakespeare
      My noble lords and cousins, all, good morrow.
  4. (figuratively) Something kindred or related to another.

Usage notes

  • People who have common grandparents but different parents are first cousins. People who have common great-grandparents but no common grandparents and different parents are second cousins, and so on.
  • In general, one’s nth cousin is anyone other than oneself, one's siblings or nearer cousins found by going back n+1 generations and then forward n+1 generations. One of one's first cousin's parents is one's parents' siblings. One of one's second cousin's grandparents is one of one's grandparents' siblings.
  • The child of one’s first cousin is one’s first cousin once removed; the grandchild of one’s first cousin is one’s first cousin twice removed, and so on. For example, if Phil and Marie are first cousins, and Marie has a son Andre, then Phil and Andre are first cousins once removed.
  • In the southern US, the relation is considered the number of links between two people of common ancestry to the common aunt or uncle.
  • A patrilineal or paternal cousin is a father's niece or nephew, and a matrilineal or maternal cousin a mother's. Paternal and maternal parallel cousins are father's brother's child and mother's sister's child, respectively; paternal and maternal cross cousins are father's sister's child and mother's brother's child, respectively.

Synonyms

Hyponyms

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Derived terms

terms derived from cousin (noun)

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

See also

Further reading

Anagrams


French

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ku.zɛ̃/
  • (file)

Etymology 1

From Middle French cousin, from Old French cosin, from Latin cōnsōbrīnus.

Noun

cousin m (plural cousins, feminine cousine)

  1. cousin (male)

Etymology 2

From Latin culicīnus (mosquito-like), from culex (gnat, midge).

Noun

cousin m (plural cousins)

  1. crane fly
Synonyms
Derived terms
  • cousinière (protective mesh against crane flies)

Further reading


Middle French

Etymology

From Old French cosin.

Noun

cousin m (plural cousins, feminine singular cousine, feminine plural cousines)

  1. male cousin

Descendants


Norman

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old French cosin, from Latin cōnsōbrīnus.

Noun

cousin m (plural cousins, feminine cousaine)

  1. (Guernsey) (male) cousin
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