cognate

American  

[kog-neyt] / ˈkɒg neɪt /

adjective

1. related by birth; of the same parentage, descent, etc.

2. Linguistics. descended from the same language or form.

   such cognate languages as French and Spanish.

3. allied or similar in nature or quality.

---

noun

1. a person or thing cognate with another.

2. a cognate word.

   The English word cold is a cognate of German kalt.

cognate British  

/ ˈkɒɡneɪt /

adjective

1. akin; related

   cognate languages

2. related by blood or descended from a common maternal ancestor Compare agnate

3. grammar a noun functioning as the object of a verb to which it is etymologically related, as in think a thought or sing a song

---

noun

1. something that is cognate with something else

Other Word Forms

• cognately
  adverb
• cognateness
  noun
• cognatic
  adjective
• cognation
  noun
• noncognate
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of cognate

1635–45; < Latin cognātus, equivalent to co- co- + -gnātus (past participle of gnāscī, nāscī to be born)

Explanation

When you're learning a new language, a cognate is an easy word to remember because it looks and means the same thing as a word you already know. For example, gratitude in English means the same as gratitud in Spanish. Just as words that are cognates have a shared origin — like gratitude and gratitud both coming from the Latin word gratitudo, meaning "thankfulness" — people can be cognates based on their shared blood. For example, you and your sister are cognates of your parents. You probably even look alike, just like word cognates. The adjective form of cognate can describe blood relations or anyone whose ancestors spoke the same language.

Example Sentences

For 40 years he has been pursuing his ideal, the last ten as president of Dropsie College for Hebrew and Cognate Learning.

From Time Magazine Archive

Cognate with railways is the practical working of the Electric Telegraph, now so necessary to their being. 

From Gossip in the First Decade of Victoria's Reign by Ashton, John

Cognate words in English are smother and small, which come from the same root. gingerly.

From Stories from Tagore by Tagore, Rabindranath

Cognate to it was another point of view which was not originally Jewish, but had probably been taken over by the Jews from Persian thought.

From Landmarks in the History of Early Christianity by Lake, Kirsopp

Any classes which fall immediately under the same genus are called Cognate Species, e.g. singular and common terms are cognate species of term.

From Deductive Logic by Stock, St. George William Joseph