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Definition and meaning of Cousin
Definitions
cousin (n.)
1.the child of your aunt or uncle
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Merriam Webster
CousinCous"in (kŭz"'n), n. [F. cousin, LL. cosinus, cusinus, contr. from L. consobrinus the child of a mother's sister, cousin; con- + sobrinus a cousin by the mother's side, a form derived fr. soror (for sosor) sister. See Sister, and cf. Cozen, Coz.]
1. One collaterally related more remotely than a brother or sister; especially, the son or daughter of an uncle or aunt.
☞ The children of brothers and sisters are usually denominated first cousins, or cousins-german. In the second generation, they are called second cousins. See Cater-cousin, and Quater-cousin.
Thou art, great lord, my father's sister's son,
A cousin-german to great Priam's seed. Shak.
2. A title formerly given by a king to a nobleman, particularly to those of the council. In English writs, etc., issued by the crown, it signifies any earl.
My noble lords and cousins, all, good morrow. Shak.
CousinCous"in, n. Allied; akin. [Obs.] Chaucer.
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Definition (more)
⇨ definition of Wikipedia
Synonyms
cousin (n.)
Phrases
⇨ cousin-german • first cousin • first cousin once removed • first/full cousin • fourth cousin • full cousin • kissing cousin • second cousin • second cousin once removed
⇨ 1st cousin • 1st cousin once removed • 2nd cousin • 2nd cousin once removed • 3rd cousin • 3rd cousin once removed • 4th cousin • 4th cousin once removed • 5th cousin • 5th cousin once removed • 6th cousin • 6th cousin once removed • 7th cousin • 7th cousin once removed • 8th cousin • 8th cousin once removed • 9th cousin • 9th cousin once removed • Alain Cousin • Andy Cousin • Anne Ross Cousin • Charles Cousin-Montauban, Comte de Palikao • Charles Guillaume Cousin-Montauban • Charles Guillaume Cousin-Montauban, comte de Palikao • Charles Guillaume Marie Cousin-Montauban • Charles-Guillaume-Marie-Apollinaire-Antoine, Comte de Palikao Cousin-Montauban • Cousin (disambiguation) • Cousin Balki • Cousin Basilio • Cousin Bette • Cousin Bobby • Cousin Creep • Cousin Dud LeBlanc • Cousin Dupree • Cousin Fatstuff • Cousin Henry • Cousin Island • Cousin Itt • Cousin Joe • Cousin Joey • Cousin Kate • Cousin Larry • Cousin Mary Owl • Cousin Phillis • Cousin Sal • Cousin Skeeter • Cousin Slowpoke • Cousin Wilbur • Cousin couple • Cousin in law • Cousin marriage • Cousin marriage case law in the United States • Cousin once removed • Cousin once-removed • Cousin prime • Cousin primes • Cousin problems • Cousin three times removed • Cousin thrice removed • Cousin twice removed • Cousin twice-removed • Cousin's theorem • Cousin, cousine • Cousin, once removed • Cousin, once-removed • Cousin, twice-removed • Cousin-in-law • Cousin-once-removed • Cousin-thrice-removed • Cousin-twice-removed • Daniel Cousin • Donald's Cousin Gus • Double cousin • Double first cousin • Eighth cousin • Eighth cousin once removed • Elzéard Auguste Cousin de Dommartin • Erac's Cousin • Fifth cousin • Fifth cousin once removed • First cousin • First cousin once removed • First cousin once-removed • First cousin thrice removed • First cousin, once removed • First cousin, once-removed • Fourth cousin • Fourth cousin once removed • Francois Cousin House (Slidell, Louisiana) • Germaine Cousin • Germanus (cousin of Justinian I) • Jean Cousin • Jean Cousin (navigator) • Jean Cousin the Elder • Jean-Baptiste Cousin de Grainville • Jean-Yves Cousin • Jehan Cousin the younger • Jerry's Cousin • Kissing Cousin • Law cousin • Law-cousin • Le Cousin Pons • Little Cousin Scampi • Lorne Cousin • Louis Cousin • My American Cousin • My Cousin Rachel • My Cousin Rachel (film) • My Cousin Vinny • My Cousin in Milwaukee • My Cousin, My Gastroenterologist • My Perfect Cousin • Nicetas (cousin of Heraclius) • Nicolas Cousin • Ninth cousin • Ninth cousin once removed • Other Cousin • Our American Cousin • Our American Cousin (disambiguation) • Our American Cousin (opera) • Our Country Cousin • Parallel-cousin • Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx • Second cousin • Second cousin once removed • Second cousin once-removed • Second cousin, once removed • Second cousin, once-removed • Seventh cousin • Seventh cousin once removed • Shareef Cousin • Sixth cousin • Sixth cousin once removed • Terry Cousin • The 49th Cousin • The Country Cousin • The One with Ross and Monica's Cousin • The Other Cousin • Third cousin once removed • Third cousin once-removed • Third cousin twice removed • Third cousin, once removed • Third cousin, once-removed • Victor Cousin
Analogical dictionary
cousin (n.)
Wikipedia
Cousin
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In kinship terminology, a cousin is a blood relative with whom a person shares one or more common ancestors (other than a parent, child, ancestor, descendant, sibling, descendant/child of a sibling, or sibling of an ancestor/parent). However in common parlance, "cousin" normally specifically means "first cousin".
Systems of "degrees" and "removals" are used in the English-speaking world to describe the exact relationship between two cousins (in the broad sense) and the ancestor they have in common. Various governmental entities have established systems for legal use that can more precisely specify kinships with common ancestors existing any number of generations in the past, though common usage often eliminates the degrees and removals and refers to people with common ancestry as simply "distant cousins" or "relatives".
By extension, the term "cousins" can also be used to refer to different tribes or nations with common ancestors or origins, or even to the genetic relationships between a species (such as the human species) and other form of life, under the theory of evolution of all life on Earth descending from one common ancestor. However, the term in this sense is most commonly restricted to the fields of study surrounding ecological genetics.
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Basic definitions
The ordinals in the terms "first cousins", "second cousins", "third cousins", describe the "degree" of the cousin relationship. The degree of two cousins' relationship is determined by the number of generations to their closest common ancestor.[1] When the cousins are not the same generation, they are described as "removed". In this case, the smaller number of generations to the common ancestor is used to determine the degree, and the difference in generations determines the number of times removed. Note that the ages of the cousins are irrelevant to the definition of the cousin relationship.
| Term | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| First cousin | The children of two siblings. | Bill and Sally are first cousins because their fathers were brothers. |
| Second cousin | The children of two first cousins. | Bob and Sarah are second cousins because Bob's father, Bill, and Sarah's mother, Sally, are first cousins |
| Third cousin | The children of two second cousins. | Brian and Stephanie are third cousins because Brian's father, Bob, and Stephanie's mother, Sarah, are second cousins. |
| First cousin once removed | Two people for whom a first cousin relationship is one generation removed. | Bob and his father's first cousin, Sally, are first cousins once removed to each other. They are one generation removed from the common generational relationship between Bob's father (Bill) and Sally. |
| First cousin twice removed | Two people for whom a first cousin relationship is two generations removed. | Brian and his grandfather's first cousin, Sally, are first cousins twice removed. They are two generations removed from the common generational relationship between Brian's grandfather (Bill), and Sally. |
| Second cousin once removed | Two people for whom a second cousin relationship is one generation removed. | Brian and his father's second cousin, Sarah, are second cousins once removed. They are one generation removed from the common second cousin relationship between Brian's father (Bob) and Sarah. |
Asymmetric definitions
The dyadic definitions of cousins in the previous section are common but not universal. As with other relationship definitions, e.g., father-daughter; aunt-nephew, some people prefer to use an asymmetric terminology that defines both the relationship and the roles played by each person in the relationship.[2] In this case, the degree of the relationship from cousin A to cousin B is determined by the distance from A to the common ancestor and the number of times removed is the difference in generations between A to B. Sometimes "upwards" or "downwards" is used to indicate the direction of this difference. For example, if A has a grandparent whose sibling is B's parent, then B is A's "second cousin, once removed (upwards)", whereas A is B's "first cousin once removed (downwards)".[3]
Additional terms
The following is a list of less common cousin terms.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Double cousin | Double first cousins arise when two siblings of one family reproduce with two siblings of another family. The resulting children are related to each other through both parents' families. Double first cousins share both sets of grandparents in common and have double the degree of consanguinity of ordinary first cousins. Double second cousins can arise in two ways: there can be two first-cousin relationships among their parents, or there can be one double-first-cousin relationship between their parents. |
| Half-cousin | Half-cousins are the children of two half-siblings and their respective spouses. |
| Step-cousin | Step-cousins are either stepchildren of an individual's aunt or uncle, or children of one's step-aunt or uncle. |
| Cousin-in-law | A cousin-in-law is the spouse of an individual's cousin, or the cousin of one's spouse. |
| Maternal/paternal cousin | A term that specifies whether the individual is one's cousin on the mother's side (maternal) or father's side (paternal). |
Colloquial usage
In day to day speech, "cousin" is often used unmodified. Normally it means a first cousin, but some people use the term "cousin" to refer to cousins of all types, such as first, second, and third cousins, as well as cousins once or more times removed. Modifier terms such as "half-cousin" or "step-cousin" are rarely used in everyday speech.
Relationships chart
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (February 2011) |
A "cousin chart", or "table of consanguinity", is helpful in identifying the degree of cousin relationship between two people using their most recent common ancestor as the reference point. Cousinship between two people can be specifically described in degrees and removals by determining how close, generationally, the common ancestor is to each person.
| If one person's → | Parent | Grandparent | Great-grandparent | Great-great-grandparent | Great-great-great-grandparent | Great-great-great-great-grandparent | |
| is the other person's ↓ |
then they are ↘ | ||||||
| Parent | siblings | aunt/uncle & niece/nephew | great aunt/uncle & great niece/nephew |
g-g aunt/uncle & g-g niece/nephew |
g-g-g aunt/uncle & g-g-g niece/nephew |
g-g-g-g aunt/uncle & g-g-g-g niece/nephew |
|
| Grandparent | aunt/uncle & niece/nephew |
1st cousins | 1st cousins once removed | 1st cousins twice removed | 1st cousins thrice removed | 1st cousins four times removed | |
| Great-grandparent | great aunt/uncle & great niece/nephew | 1st cousins once removed | 2nd cousins | 2nd cousins once removed | 2nd cousins twice removed | 2nd cousins thrice removed | |
| Great-great-grandparent | g-g aunt/uncle & g-g niece/nephew |
1st cousins twice removed | 2nd cousins once removed | 3rd cousins | 3rd cousins once removed | 3rd cousins twice removed | |
| Great-great-great-grandparent | g-g-g aunt/uncle & g-g-g niece/nephew |
1st cousins thrice removed | 2nd cousins twice removed | 3rd cousins once removed | 4th cousins | 4th cousins once removed | |
| Great-great-great-great-grandparent | g-g-g-g aunt/uncle & g-g-g-g niece/nephew |
1st cousins four times removed | 2nd cousins thrice removed | 3rd cousins twice removed | 4th cousins once removed | 5th cousins | |
Canon law relationship chart
Another visual chart used in determining the legal relationship between two people who share a common ancestor is based upon a diamond shape, usually referred to as a "canon law relationship chart".
The chart is used by placing the "common progenitor" (the most recent person from whom both people are descended) in the top space in the diamond-shaped chart, and then following each line down the outside edge of the chart. Upon reaching the final place along the opposing outside edge for each person, the relationship is then determined by following that line inward to the point where the lines intersect. The information contained in the common "intersection" defines the relationship.
For a simple example, in the illustration to the right, if two siblings use the chart to determine their relationship, their common parents are placed in the topmost position and each child is assigned the space below and along the outside of the chart. Then, following the spaces inward, the two would meet in the "brother (sister)" diamond. If their children want to determine their relationship, they would follow the path established by their parents, but descend an additional step below along the outside of the chart (showing that they are grandchildren of the common progenitor); following their respective lines inward, they would come to rest in the space marked "1st cousin". In cases where one side descends the outside of the diamond further than the other side because of additional generations removed from the common progenitor, following the lines inward shows both the cousin rank (1st cousin, 2nd cousin) plus the number of times (generations) "removed".
In the example provided at the right, generations one (child) through ten (8th great-grandchild) from the common progenitor are provided; however, the format of the chart can easily be expanded to accommodate any number of generations needed to resolve the question of relationship.
Mathematical definitions
There is a mathematical way to identify the degree of cousinship shared by two individuals. Each "great" or "grand" in the description of one individual's relationship to the common ancestor has a numerical value of 1.
Example: If person one's great-great-great-grandfather is person two's grandfather, then person one's "number" is 4 (great + great + great + grand = 4) and person two's "number" is 1 (grand = 1). The smaller of the two numbers is the degree of cousinship. The two people in this example are first cousins. The difference between the two people's "numbers" is the degree of removal. In this case, the two people are thrice (4 − 1 = 3) removed, making them first cousins thrice removed.
Example 2: If someone's great-great-great-grandparent (great + great + great + grand = 4) is another person's great-great-great-grandparent (great + great + great + grand = 4), then the two people are 4th cousins. There is no degree of removal, because they are on the same generational level (4 − 4 = 0).
Example 3: If one person's great-grandparent (great + grand = 2) is a second person's great-great-great-great-great-grandparent (great + great + great + great + great + grand = 6), then the two are second cousins four times removed. The first person's "number" (2) is the lower, making them second cousins. The difference between the two numbers is 4 (6 − 2 = 4), which is the degree of removal (generational difference).
See also
- Collateral descendant
- Consanguinity
- Cousin marriage
- Cross cousin
- Family
- Genealogical numbering systems
- Kinship terminology
- List of coupled cousins
- Most recent common ancestor
- Parallel cousin
- Generation
References
- ^ http://www.genetic-genealogy.co.uk/Toc115570138.html#Single_Cousins
- ^ Fasold, Ralph and Shuy, Roger, Studies in Language Variation ISBN 0-87840-209-8
- ^ askdefine
External links
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Look up cousin in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
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