consanguineous

American  

[kon-sang-gwin-ee-uhs] / ˌkɒn sæŋˈgwɪn i əs /

Also consanguine

adjective

1. having the same ancestry or descent; related by blood.

---

Other Word Forms

• consanguineously adverb

Etymology

Origin of consanguineous

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin consanguineus “related by blood, kindred; blood relation, kinsman,” equivalent to con- + sanguin- (stem of sanguis) “blood” + -eus adjective suffix. Consanguineous first occurs in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night (1602), and Shakespeare may have introduced the word into English. See con-, -eous

Explanation

To be consanguineous is to be related by blood. A mother and her biological child are consanguineous. Consanguineous comes from a Latin word meaning "of the same blood," and that's exactly what this word means. This word applies to everyone who is a blood relation: a mother and father are not consanguineous, but they are both consanguineous with their biological children. All the puppies or kittens in a litter are consanguineous. First cousins are consanguineous. An adopted child will not be consanguineous with anyone in his or her adoptive family.

Example Sentences

Several children were the result of consanguineous marriages, in which the parents are related.

From Science Daily • Feb. 8, 2024

“Ninety percent of the cases I see are caused by consanguineous marriages,” says Ms Zaki.

From Economist • Feb. 25, 2016

With the pianist-brother's recent success, however, the consanguineous harmonies of the trio will no longer be heard.

From Time Magazine Archive

The impulse to prevent marriage of consanguineous relatives started by the gens went still further.

From The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State by Engels, Friedrich

Early in 1839 Darwin married his cousin, Emma- 53 - Wedgwood, daughter of his uncle Josiah Wedgwood: a union which, though consanguineous, proved in the highest degree congenial and fortunate.

From Life of Charles Darwin by Bettany, G. T. (George Thomas)