Adventures in Etymology – Kith and Kin
In this Adventure we’re looking into the words kith and kin. Kith [kɪθ] means: * Friends and acquaintances (archaic/obsolete) It appears in the expression kith and kin (both friends and family) and comes from the Middle English kith (kinsmen, relations), from Old English cȳþþu [ˈkyːθ.θu] (knoweldge, native land, home) from Proto-Germanic *kunþiþō (knowledge, acquaintance), from PIE *ǵneh₃- (to know) [source]. Engish words from the same roots include can, cunning, gnome, know, noble, quaint and uncouth [source]. Kin [kɪn] means: * Race, family, breed, kind * Persons of the same race or family, kindred * One or more relatives It comes from Middle English kyn (family, native, tribe, clan), from Old English cynn (kind, tribe, race, species, family), from Proto-West-Germanic *kuni (family, kin), from Proto-Germanic *kunją (kin, family, clan) from PIE *ǵenh₁- (to beget, give birth) [source] Engish words from the same roots include cognate, engine, gene, genius, gentle, kind and nature [source]. Here’s a video I made of this information: Video made with Doodly [afflilate link]. I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur. You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM or podtail. If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.