kith and kin

Idioms & Phrases

kith and kin

Friends and family, as in Everyone was invited, kith and kin as well as distant acquaintances. This expression dates from the 1300s and originally meant "country-men" (kith meant "one's native land") and "family members." It gradually took on the present looser sense.

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