kith and kin

American  

plural noun

1. acquaintances and relatives.

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kith and kin Idioms  

1. Friends and family, as in Everyone was invited, kith and kin as well as distant acquaintances. This expression dates from the 1300s and originally meant “countrymen” (kith meant “one's native land”) and “family members.” It gradually took on the present looser sense.

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Etymology

Origin of kith and kin

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

Example Sentences

Kith and kin were not all in the world; love of woman was not all; a chance for a home, a wife, children, were not all; a name was not all.

From The Maids of Paradise by Chambers, Robert W. (Robert William)

Kith and kin were dead to me long ago.

From A Crooked Path A Novel by Alexander, Mrs.

The law of feudalism and of the clan writes at the head of its decalogue, "Kith and kin above all."

From The Code of the Mountains by Buck, Charles Neville

Kith and kin may stab us, but never the loyal friend.

From Half a Rogue by MacGrath, Harold