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kith

noun

: familiar friends, neighbors, or relatives
kith and kin

Did you know?

The Evolution of Kith

Kith has had many meanings over the years. In its earliest uses it referred to knowledge of something, but that meaning died out in the 1400s. Another sense, "one's native land," had come and gone by the early 1500s. The sense "friends, fellow countrymen, or neighbors" developed before the 12th century and was sometimes used as a synonym of kinsfolk. That last sense got kith into hot water after people began using the word in the alliterative phrase "kith and kin." Over the years, usage commentators have complained that kith means the same thing as kin, so "kith and kin" is redundant. Clearly, they have overlooked some other historical definitions, but if you want to avoid redundancy charges, be sure to include friends as well as relatives among your "kith and kin."

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web They were being held to the same standards as the rest of the world, forced to confront political realities that were previously beyond their kith. Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 30 Dec. 2020 All familiar sights around Christmas, when the social obligations of the festive season draw people together with their kith and kin. Elisabeth Blagrove, Quartz, 25 Dec. 2019 According to Ms Debos, the need for France’s intervention showed that some high-ranking officers were unwilling to fight their kith and kin among the rebels. The Economist, 18 July 2019 Although Edward IV had the Lancastrian King Henry VI secretly murdered in the Tower in 1471, to close off the enemy dynasty, Richard couldn’t get away with the same thing with his own kith and kin 12 years later. Andrew Roberts, WSJ, 30 Apr. 2018

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English cȳthth; akin to cūth known — more at uncouth

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of kith was before the 12th century

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