Word of the Day

: January 20, 2024

kindred

adjective KIN-drud

What It Means

To say that two people or things are kindred is to say that they are of a similar nature or character, or that they have the same ancestry.

// I believe she and I are kindred spirits.

// German and English are kindred languages.

See the entry >

kindred in Context

“I’ve always loved to read, long before I began to write. Prolific writer Stephen King explains, ‘If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.’ Another kindred soul, Robert Louis Stevenson, ‘I kept always two books in my pocket: one to read, one to write in.’ The two passions are so connected in my being.” — Kerri Thoreson, The Coeur d’Alene (Idaho)/Post Falls Press, 30 Mar. 2022

Did You Know?

Family—both ancestral and in spirit—is what puts the “kin” in kindred. This word comes from the Old English noun for “kinship,” cynrǣden, which combines cynn (meaning “kin”) and ræden, meaning “condition.” Kindred first entered English as a noun during the Middle Ages. That noun, which can refer to a group of related individuals or to one's own relatives, gave rise to the adjective kindred in the 14th century. Other words akin to kin include kinfolk (and kinsfolk), kinship, kinsman, and kinswoman.