second cousin

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noun

a child of a first cousin of one's parent.Compare cousin (def. 1).

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of second cousin

First recorded in 1650–60

Words nearby second cousin

second class, second-class citizen, Second Coming, Second Commandment, second consonant shift, second cousin, second-degree burn, second-degree murder, second derivative, second division, seconde

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use second cousin in a sentence

Charles was, in fact, on his mother's side, second-cousin to an English Earl.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 17, No. 104, June, 1866|Various
Second-cousin Charles Adams had been in correspondence with him, and advised him to return.
A Little Girl in Old Boston|Amanda Millie Douglas
Val Dartie, it was true, was a second-cousin, but it was not the thing for Holly to go about with him.
The Forsyte Saga, Complete|John Galsworthy
You are of the noble Austrian blood; the second-cousin of your mother is a grand duke; you must not forget.'
Shorty McCabe|Sewell Ford

He was my own second-cousin, and our folks used to visit back and forth a good deal before he was married.
Jerome, A Poor Man|Mary E. Wilkins Freeman

British Dictionary definitions for second cousin

second cousin

noun

the child of a first cousin of either of one's parents

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with second cousin

second cousin

Something that is related or similar but not quite the same, as in This beef stew is second cousin to boeuf bourguignon. This expression transfers the literal sense of second cousin—that is, the child of the first cousin of one's mother or father—a usage dating from the mid-1600s.