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; gender ¹.

Origin of -kin²

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

Example Sentences

How does one go about helping a very elderly man who has only me as his next of kin?

From MarketWatch • Mar. 21, 2026

Identities of the deceased service members will be withheld for 24 hours after next of kin is informed.

From Salon • Mar. 13, 2026

A local magistrate ordered that the bodies be handed over to the Iranian embassy in Colombo for repatriation to the next of kin.

From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026

A spokesperson said the victim's next of kin was being supported by family liaison officers.

From BBC • Mar. 1, 2026

“Ise comin. You go on and git dat car and wait now,” she says, “so you kin cahy her to school.”

From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner