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cousin

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cous⋅in

  [kuhz-uhn]
Use cousin in a Sentence
–noun
1. Also called first cousin, full cousin, cousin-german. the son or daughter of an uncle or aunt.
2. one related by descent in a diverging line from a known common ancestor, as from one's grandparent or from one's father's or mother's sister or brother.
3. a kinsman or kinswoman; relative.
4. a person or thing related to another by similar natures, languages, geographical proximity, etc.: Our Canadian cousins are a friendly people.
5. Slang. a gullible, innocent person who is easily duped or taken advantage of.
6. a term of address used by a sovereign in speaking, writing, or referring to another sovereign or a high-ranking noble.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME cosin < AF co(u)sin, OF cosin < L consōbrīnus cousin (properly, son of one's mother's sister), equiv. to con- con- + sōbrīnus second cousin (presumably orig. “pertaining to the sister”) < *swesrīnos, equiv. to *swesr-, gradational var. of *swesōr (> soror sister ) + *-īnos -ine 1 ; for -sr- > -br- cf. December

Related forms:
cous⋅in⋅age, cous⋅in⋅hood, cous⋅in⋅ship, noun
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Cou⋅sin

  [koo-zan]
–noun
Vic⋅tor  [veek-tawr] , 1792–1867, French philosopher and educational reformer: founder of the method of eclecticism in French philosophy.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To cousin
cous·in   (kŭz'ĭn)   
n.  

  1. A child of one's aunt or uncle. Also called first cousin.

  2. A relative descended from a common ancestor, such as a grandparent, by two or more steps in a diverging line.

  3. A relative by blood or marriage; a kinsman or kinswoman.

  4. A member of a kindred group or country: our Canadian cousins.

  5. Something similar in quality or character: "There's no mistaking soca for its distant Jamaican cousin, reggae" (Michael Saunders).

  6. Used as a form of address by a sovereign in addressing another sovereign or a high-ranking member of the nobility.


[Middle English cosin, a relative, from Old French, from Latin cōnsōbrīnus, cousin : com-, com- + sōbrīnus, cousin on the mother's side; see swesor- in Indo-European roots.]
cous'in·hood' n., cous'in·ly adj., cous'in·ship' n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

cousin 
1160, from O.Fr. cosin, from L. consobrinus "mother's sister's child," from com- "together" + sobrinus (earlier *sosrinos) "cousin on mother's side," from soror (gen. sororis) "sister." Used familiarly as a term of address since 1430, especially in Cornwall. Your first cousin (also cousin-german) is the son or daughter of an uncle or aunt; your children and your first cousin's are second cousins to one another; to you, your first cousin's children are first cousin once removed. Phrase kissing cousin is Southern U.S. expression, 1940s, denoting "those close enough to be kissed in salutation;" Kentish cousin (1796) is an old British term for "distant relative."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

cousin

see country cousin; first cousin; kissing cousins; second cousin.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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