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• kin
  kin

  noun

  a person's relatives collectively; kinfolk.
• -kin
  -kin

  a diminutive suffix of nouns.

kin

¹ American  

[kin] / kɪn /

noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. a person's relatives collectively; kinfolk.

2. family relationship or kinship.

3. a group of persons descended from a common ancestor or constituting a people, clan, tribe, or family.

4. a relative or kinsman.

5. someone or something of the same or similar kind.

   philosophy and its kin, theology.

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adjective

1. of the same family; related; akin.

2. of the same kind or nature; having affinity.

idioms

1. of kin, of the same family; related; akin.

   Although their surnames are identical they are not of kin.

-kin ² American  

1. a diminutive suffix of nouns.

   lambkin.

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kin ¹ British  

/ kɪn /

noun

1. a person's relatives collectively; kindred

2. a class or group with similar characteristics

3. See next of kin

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adjective

1. (postpositive) related by blood

2. a less common word for akin

-kin ² British  

suffix

1. small

   lambkin

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kin More Idioms  

1. see kith and kin.

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Usage

What does -kin mean? The suffix -kin is used as a diminutive. In other words, it denotes that something is "little," either literally or figuratively. It is very occasionally used in a variety of informal and everyday terms. The form -kin comes from Middle English. Similar diminutives in English include -en (as in kitten) and -y (as in baby). Check out our entries for both suffixes to learn how frequently they appear.

Other Word Forms

• kinless
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of kin¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English cyn; cognate with Old Saxon, Old High German kunni, Old Norse kyn, Gothic kuni; akin to Latin genus, Greek génos, Sanskrit jánas; see gender ¹.

Origin of -kin²

Middle English < Middle Dutch, Middle Low German -ken; cognate with German -chen

Explanation

Some say kin, others say "family" or "relatives." Call them what you will, but you’re stuck with those people related to you by blood or marriage. When someone refers to their kith and kin, she means her friends and family. Both words date back to Old English, with kin reaching back to the 700s. Originally referring to one’s family or race, kin narrowed to refer just to one’s blood relations. Your "next of kin" is your closest family member: spouse, child, parent, or sibling.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

kin -kin

"I'm the only child, the only next of kin really in the family," Haldia told AFP.

From Barron's ● Aug. 29, 2026

Her significant shareholding power was spread to her children and their kin upon her death.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

Marine Band could offer its kin moral support by playing in the background Ives’ mysteriously transcendental “Unanswered Question.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

The Met said the boy's death was being treated as unexpected, and his next of kin had been informed and were being supported by specialist officers.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

The mind builds itself like a sirrah’s nest with whatever is at hand: silk threads and stolen hair and the feathers of dead kin.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

The same is the case with the superadded syllables: -kin being Saxon; -et Norman.

From A Handbook of the English Language by R. G. (Robert Gordon) Latham