cousin

Where does the word "cousin" come from? It comes from Latin consobrinus, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).

Cousin’s story begins in Latin: consobrinus meant “a maternal cousin.” Literally mother's sister's child, from com- (together) and soror (sister). By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as cosin. Broadened in French to mean any close relative outside one's immediate family. It reached English by 1200s as cousin. Settled as the English word for the child of one's aunt or uncle. Today, cousin means the child of one's aunt or uncle.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient consobrinus "a maternal cousin", literally mother's sister's child, from com- (together) and soror (sister).
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval cosin "a close relative", broadened in French to mean any close relative outside one's immediate family.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1200s cousin "the child of one's aunt or uncle", settled as the English word for the child of one's aunt or uncle.