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.

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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

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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

But the last word in his name is a cognate for the Chinese word for death, which bothers more superstitious clientele.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2023

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

A sound without cognate and so without description.

From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy