cousin
1 Americannoun
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Also called full cousin. Also called first cousin. the son or daughter of an uncle or aunt.
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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.
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a kinsman or kinswoman; relative.
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a person or thing related to another by similar natures, languages, geographical proximity, etc..
Our Canadian cousins are a friendly people.
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Slang. a gullible, innocent person who is easily duped or taken advantage of.
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a term of address used by a sovereign in speaking, writing, or referring to another sovereign or a high-ranking noble.
noun
noun
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Also called: first cousin. cousin-german. full cousin. the child of one's aunt or uncle
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a relative who has descended from one of one's common ancestors. A person's second cousin is the child of one of his parents' first cousins. A person's third cousin is the child of one of his parents' second cousins. A first cousin once removed (or loosely second cousin ) is the child of one's first cousin
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a member of a group related by race, ancestry, interests, etc
our Australian cousins
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a title used by a sovereign when addressing another sovereign or a nobleman
noun
Other Word Forms
- cousinage noun
- cousinhood noun
- cousinly adjective
- cousinship noun
Etymology
Origin of cousin
1250–1300; Middle English cosin < Anglo-French co ( u ) sin, Old French cosin < Latin consōbrīnus cousin (properly, son of one's mother's sister), equivalent to con- con- + sōbrīnus second cousin (presumably originally “pertaining to the sister”) < *swesrīnos, equivalent to *swesr-, gradational variant of *swesōr (> soror sister ) + *-īnos -ine 1; for -sr- > -br- December
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Greenside and his brother bought out their cousin’s share of the house, and Greenside moved from Seattle to live in the home.
As women age and produce less estrogen, bone mass decreases, which can lead to osteopenia, thinning of the bones, and its more serious cousin, osteoporosis, which comes with a high risk of fracture.
Mr. Nesbø encloses “Wolf Hour,” translated from the Norwegian by Robert Ferguson, in a clever conceptual envelope: The book is being written years later by a Norwegian cousin of Bob’s.
Releford’s children, nieces, nephews and cousins all contribute to its success.
From Los Angeles Times
Most people living today have some residual fragments of DNA from our ancient evolutionary cousins.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
