Standard Lemma guide

cognate

adj · noun · 12 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈkɒɡn(e)ɪt/
  • US: /ˈkɑɡn(e)ɪt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Allied by blood; kindred by birth; specifically (law) related on the mother's side.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: akin, same-blooded, cognate, consanguine, consanguineous, consanguineal, natural

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Of the same or a similar nature; of the same family; proceeding from the same stock or root.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: allied, kindred, connate, akin, cognate

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Descended from the same source lexemes (same etymons) of an ancestor language.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

One of a number of things allied in origin or nature.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

One who is related to another on the female side.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated

Topics: law

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

One who is related to another, both having descended from a common ancestor through legal marriages.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated

Topics: law

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

A word either descended from the same base word of the same ancestor language as the given word, or judged to be a regular reflex of the same reconstructed root of proto-language as the given word.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: paronym

8

adjective satellite

Meaning 8

related by blood

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: akin(p), blood-related, consanguine, consanguineous, consanguineal, kin(p)

Antonyms: none provided

9

adjective satellite

Meaning 9

having the same ancestral language

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • cognate languages

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

adjective satellite

Meaning 10

related in nature

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • connate qualities

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: connate

Antonyms: none provided

11

noun

Meaning 11

a word is cognate with another if both derive from the same word in an ancestral language

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cognate word

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: word

12

noun

Meaning 12

one related by blood or origin; especially on sharing an ancestor with another

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: blood relation, blood relative, sib

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: relative, relation

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin cognātus (“related by blood”), from co- + gnātus (“born”). Compare Portuguese cognato and Spanish cognado. Doublet of connate and cognatus.

Across languages

Translations

104 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: родствен (rodstven) — kindred by birth
  • Czech: příbuzný — kindred by birth
  • Dutch: bloedverwant — kindred by birth
  • Georgian: ნათესავი (natesavi) — kindred by birth
  • German: kognat — kindred by birth
  • German: blutverwandt — kindred by birth
  • Italian: congiunto — kindred by birth
  • Manx: co-cheintagh — kindred by birth
  • Manx: co-chynneydagh — kindred by birth
  • Marathi: सजातीय (sajātīy) — kindred by birth
  • Old English: mǣġcūþ — kindred by birth
  • Polish: pokrewny — kindred by birth
  • Spanish: emparentado — kindred by birth
  • Spanish: familiar — kindred by birth
  • Armenian: ազգակից (azgakicʻ) — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Azerbaijani: kökdaş — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Azerbaijani: eyniköklü — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Bengali: সমগোত্রজ (śômogotroj) — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Bulgarian: родствен (rodstven) — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Bulgarian: сроден (sroden) — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Chinese Mandarin: 同源 (tóngyuán) — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Czech: příbuzný — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Czech: stejného původu — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Danish: kognat — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Dutch: cognaat — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Dutch: woordverwant — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Dutch: wortelverwant — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Finnish: olla sukua [jollekin] — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • French: apparenté — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Galician: cognado — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Georgian: მონათესავე (monatesave) — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • German: verwandt — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • German: etymologisch verwandt — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • German: stammverwandt — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • German: urverwandt — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • German: wurzelverwandt — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Greek: συγγενής (syngenís) — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Hindi: सजातीय (sajātīya) — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Hungarian: rokon — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Icelandic: samstofna — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Icelandic: skyldur — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Italian: affine — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Italian: imparentato — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Japanese: 同源 (dōgen) — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Kazakh: түбірлес (tübırles) — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Lithuanian: giminingas — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Malay: kognat — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Malay: serumpun — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Manx: cocheintagh — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Portuguese: cognato — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Romanian: înrudit — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Russian: ро́дственный (ródstvennyj) — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Russian: исконноро́дственный (iskonnoródstvennyj) — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Russian: однокоренно́й (odnokorennój) — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Slovene: istoizvoren — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Spanish: cognado — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Swedish: kognat — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Turkish: kökteş — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Vietnamese: cùng gốc — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Vietnamese: đồng nguyên — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Vietnamese: đồng căn (同根) — descended from the same attested source lexeme of an ancestor language
  • Afrikaans: kognaat — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Asturian: cognáu — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Catalan: cognat — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Chinese Mandarin: 同源詞 /同源词 (tóngyuáncí) — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Dutch: verwante — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Dutch: cognaat — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Esperanto: kognato — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Finnish: sukulaissana — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • French: mot apparenté — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • French: cognat — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Galician: cognado — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Georgian: მონათესავე (monatesave) — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • German: Verwandte — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • German: Kognat — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • German: verwandtes Wort — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Hindi: सजातीय (sajātīya) — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Hungarian: rokon szó — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Hungarian: azonos/közös eredetű szó — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Hungarian: közös tőből származó szó — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Icelandic: samstofna orð — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Indonesian: kognat — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Indonesian: kata kerabat — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Indonesian: kata seasal — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Japanese: 同根語 (dōkongo) — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Kazakh: түбірлес сөздер (tübırles sözder) — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Khmer: បរិវារសព្ទ (bɑɑrevaasap) — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Korean: 동계어 (donggyeeo) — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Malay: kognat — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Malay: kata serumpun — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Polish: pokrewny wyraz — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Polish: spokrewniony wyraz — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Portuguese: cognato — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Romanian: cuvânt înrudit — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Russian: однокоренно́е сло́во (odnokorennóje slóvo) — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Russian: ро́дственное сло́во (ródstvennoje slóvo) — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Russian: когна́т (kognát) — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Slovene: istoizvornica — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Spanish: cognado — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Swedish: kognat — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Swedish: släktord — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Vietnamese: từ cùng gốc — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Welsh: gair cytras — word derived from the same roots as a given word
  • Yiddish: קאָגנאַט (kognat) — word derived from the same roots as a given word
Real reading context

cognate in complete knowledge articles