consanguineous
adjective
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Consanguineous is part of a family of "blood" relatives that all descend from the Latin noun sanguis, meaning "blood." Some of these relatives are found on the literal branch of the family tree, as "exsanguination," a term for the draining or removal of blood. Others are on the figurative side of the family, such as "sanguine," a word that can mean "bloodred" or "ruddy" but that is more often used with the meaning "cheerful" or "optimistic." There is also "sangfroid," a French word (literally meaning "cold blood") that was borrowed into English to refer to self-control under stress. "Consanguineous" relies on the "kinship" sense of "blood," bringing together "sanguis" with the Latin prefix con-, meaning "with," to form a word used to describe two or more organisms that descend from the same ancestor.
Examples of consanguineous in a Sentence
Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 18 July 2013
One way to tackle the problem of genetic diseases which emerge out of consanguineous unions apparently isn't to discourage the unions themselves, but dodge the outcomes.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 25 Aug. 2010
First, the Middle East has long been, and is still now, a region characterized by consanguineous marriages which likely increases genetic distance over short spatial scales.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 4 Mar. 2013
Cite this Entry
“Consanguineous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consanguineous. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
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consanguineous
adjective
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consanguineous
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