cousin

¹ American  

[kuhz-uhn] / ˈkʌz ən /

noun

1. Also called full cousin.  Also called first cousin.  the son or daughter of an uncle or aunt.

2. one related by descent in a diverging line from a known common ancestor, as from one's grandparent or from one's father's or mother's sister or brother.

3. a kinsman or kinswoman; relative.

4. a person or thing related to another by similar natures, languages, geographical proximity, etc..

   Our Canadian cousins are a friendly people.

5. Slang. a gullible, innocent person who is easily duped or taken advantage of.

6. a term of address used by a sovereign in speaking, writing, or referring to another sovereign or a high-ranking noble.

---

Cousin ² American  

[koo-zan] / kuˈzɛ̃ /

noun

1. Victor 1792–1867, French philosopher and educational reformer: founder of the method of eclecticism in French philosophy.

---

cousin ¹ British  

/ ˈkʌzən /

noun

1. Also called: first cousin.   cousin-german.   full cousin.  the child of one's aunt or uncle

2. a relative who has descended from one of one's common ancestors. A person's second cousin is the child of one of his parents' first cousins. A person's third cousin is the child of one of his parents' second cousins. A first cousin once removed (or loosely second cousin ) is the child of one's first cousin

3. a member of a group related by race, ancestry, interests, etc

   our Australian cousins

4. a title used by a sovereign when addressing another sovereign or a nobleman

---

Cousin ² British  

/ kuzɛ̃ /

noun

1. Victor (viktɔr). 1792–1867, French philosopher and educational reformer

---

cousin Idioms  

1. see country cousin; first cousin; kissing cousins; second cousin.

---

Other Word Forms

• cousinage noun
• cousinhood noun
• cousinly adjective
• cousinship noun

Etymology

Origin of cousin

1250–1300; Middle English cosin < Anglo-French co ( u ) sin, Old French cosin < Latin consōbrīnus cousin (properly, son of one's mother's sister), equivalent to con- con- + sōbrīnus second cousin (presumably originally “pertaining to the sister”) < *swesrīnos, equivalent to *swesr-, gradational variant of *swesōr (> soror sister ) + *-īnos -ine ¹; for -sr- > -br- December

Example Sentences

His family moved in with his grandmother, squeezing into a cramped apartment full of aunts, uncles and cousins.

From BBC

Our parents are squarely boomers, and older ones, at that, and we grew up with a freedom that our younger cohorts envied but not the neglect that our older cousins complained of.

From The Wall Street Journal

"He couldn't walk down the street without everybody getting hold of him and wanting to take him in the pub," says his cousin, Rosemary Elmore.

From BBC

New York got a cousin somewhere in Mississippi, because a lot of us are from the South anyway.

From Los Angeles Times

“We must all be specially considerate of dear Jans today. This is the day her husband’s sister died some years ago—or was it his cousin?”

From Literature

Related Words

• relative