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n. 1. A child of one's aunt or uncle. Also called first cousin. 2. A relative descended from a common ancestor, such as a grandparent, by two or more steps in a diverging line. 3. A relative by blood or marriage; a kinsman or kinswoman. 4. A member of a kindred group or country: our Canadian cousins. 5. Something similar in quality or character: "There's no mistaking soca for its distant Jamaican cousin, reggae" (Michael Saunders). 6. Used as a form of address by a sovereign in addressing another sovereign or a high-ranking member of the nobility. [Middle English cosin, a relative, from Old French, from Latin cōnsōbrīnus, cousin : com-, com- + sōbrīnus, cousin on the mother's side; see swesor- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] cousin·hood′ n. cousin·ly adj. cousin·ship′ n. |
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