cognate

American  

[kog-nayt] / 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.

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noun

• cognates
  plural

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

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noun

1. something that is cognate with something else

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cognates
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of cognate

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

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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

See Examples For:

cognate cognates

There's no close cognate to Liz Truss in American politics, and there's definitely nothing similar to the bizarre intra-party process that has landed her in Downing Street.

From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2022

“Domain” derives from Old French, denoting heritable or landed property; its Latin-derived cognate, “domicile,” means, of course, “home.”

From New York Times ● Apr. 15, 2022

This is what I most want from TV: something literary, which I wish we had a good TV cognate for so I don’t sound like such a tool using it here!

From Slate ● Dec. 14, 2020

Called “Climate of the Hunter,” its closest cognate is perhaps Joni Mitchell’s work of the era: humming bass, philosophical musings, maddening diversions, unresolved refrains.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2019

A sound without cognate and so without description.

From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

So I could tell you who his cognates are for Achilles, Hector, Helen of Troy, Aphrodite, Odysseus and a whole bunch of others.

From Salon ● Apr. 6, 2024

For instance, English ‘water’ and German ‘wasser’ are clearly related, making them cognates that derive from the same ancient word—an example of stability.

From Scientific American ● Dec. 23, 2021

Given these similarities, linguists would expect the languages to share many cognates, or words derived from a common ancestor.

From Science Magazine ● Sep. 21, 2016

As Romei’s book, which tells the story of how he met his wife, Esther, trickles in via fax, Shira notices deliberate tricks and traps—false cognates, syllepses, paronomasia—that seem intended to trip up a translator.

From Slate ● Feb. 3, 2016

Finally having reached the word punishment it lists its cognates until the idea penalty is reached, where it balances that idea with reward and its synonyms.

From Public Speaking by Clarence Stratton

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