Definition of KIN (original) (raw)

1

: a group of persons of common ancestry : clan

2

a

: one's relatives : kindred

our neighbors and their kin

b

: kinsman

He wasn't any kin to you …—Jean Stafford

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English cynn; akin to Old High German chunni race, Latin genus birth, race, kind, Greek genos, Latin gignere to beget, Greek gignesthai to be born

Adjective

attributive use of kin entry 1

Noun suffix

Middle English, from Middle Dutch -kin; akin to Old High German -chīn, diminutive suffix

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1597, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of kin was before the 12th century