cousin

(kŭzˈĭn)

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.

Related Forms:

• cousˈin·hoodˌ noun

• cousˈin·ly adjective

• cousˈin·shipˌ noun