kin

¹

[ kin ]

noun

, (used with a plural verb)

1. a person's relatives collectively; kinfolk.
2. family relationship or kinship.
3. a group of persons descended from a common ancestor or constituting a people, clan, tribe, or family.
4. a relative or kinsman.
5. someone or something of the same or similar kind:

   philosophy and its kin, theology.

adjective

1. of the same family; related; akin.
2. of the same kind or nature; having affinity.

-kin

²

1. a diminutive suffix of nouns:

   lambkin.

kin

¹

/ kɪn /

noun

1. a person's relatives collectively; kindred
2. a class or group with similar characteristics
3. See next of kin
   See next of kin

adjective

1. postpositive related by blood
2. See akin
   a less common word for akin

-kin

²

suffix forming nouns

1. small

   lambkin

Other Words From

• kinless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of kin¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English cyn; cognate with Old Saxon, Old High German kunni, Old Norse kyn, Gothic kuni; akin to Latin genus, Greek génos, Sanskrit jánas; gender ¹.

Origin of kin²

Middle English < Middle Dutch, Middle Low German -ken; cognate with German -chen

Word History and Origins

Origin of kin¹

Old English cyn; related to Old Norse kyn family, Old High German kind child, Latin genus kind

Origin of kin²

from Middle Dutch, of West Germanic origin; compare German -chen

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. of kin, of the same family; related; akin:

   Although their surnames are identical they are not of kin.

More idioms and phrases containing kin

see kith and kin .

Example Sentences

Earlier that day, officials say, Stone went on a bloody rampage killing six of his kin and wreaking havoc in three small towns.

From The Daily Beast

Here it is, in the faces of the victims, in the stories of bravery, in the souls and memory of the survivors, the next of kin.

From The Daily Beast

Outstripping the ironieteken, the temherte slaq, and their kin by far is the most remarked and reviled irony mark to date.

From The Daily Beast

Late Monday night the FBI released the identities of seven of the deceased whose next of kin had been notified.

From The Daily Beast

I mean, temperamentally I was different, and in addition there were three years between me and my next older kin.

From The Daily Beast

I don't want ter see ennybody put upon, nor noways sufferin', ef so be's I kin help; but thet ain't ennythin' stronary, ez I know.

From Project Gutenberg

Probably he was some kin to old Granny Harris, who had distant connections in the North, some one suggested.

From Project Gutenberg

He poked his head in at an open door, and called, amiably, "Kin anybody tell me where to find Mr. Castle?"

From Project Gutenberg

We kin git the papers to start a holler and have folks demandin' action of their representatives, and sich like.

From Project Gutenberg

You can't go enterin' my house and removin' things without my permission, I kin tell you.

From Project Gutenberg

Words That Use -kin

What does -kin mean?

The suffix –kin is used as a diminutive. In other words, it denotes that something is “little,” either literally or figuratively. It is very occasionally used in a variety of informal and everyday terms.

The form –kin comes from Middle English. Similar diminutives in English include –en (as in kitten) and –y (as in baby). Check out our entries for both suffixes to learn how frequently they appear.

Examples of -kin 

One example of a term that features the suffix -kin as a diminutive is ladykin, a familiar term meaning “a little lady.”

The beginning of the word, lady-, means roughly “woman.” As we have seen, the suffix –kin means “little.” Ladykin literally means “little woman.”

What are some words that use the combining form –kin?

• babykin
• boomkin (using the equivalent form of –kin in Dutch)
• catkin (using the equivalent form of –kin in Dutch)
• firkin (using the equivalent form of –kin in Middle English)
• lambkin
• manikin (using the equivalent form of –kin in Dutch)
• princekin

What are some other forms that –kin may be commonly confused with?

• -kind
• -kinesis
• -skin

Not every word that ends with the exact letters –kin, such as otherkin, is necessarily using the combining form –kin to denote “little.” Learn why otherkin means “someone who identifies as a non-human species or mythological entity” at our entry for the word.

Break it down!

Given the meaning of -kin, what does babykin mean?