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cater-cousin

American  
[key-ter-kuhz-uhn] / ˈkeɪ tərˌkʌz ən /

noun

  1. an intimate friend.

  2. Obsolete. a cousin.

cater-cousin British  
/ ˈkeɪtəˌkʌzən /

noun

  1. archaic a close friend

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of cater-cousin

1540–50; perhaps cater + cousin, though original literal sense is unclear

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.