cognation

/kɑɡˈneɪʃən/
noun
  1. The state of being related by blood or having a common ancestor.
    • The two tribes shared a sense of cognation, believing they descended from the same hero.
    • In some legal systems, cognation determines inheritance rights.
    • The study of cognation helps historians trace family lines through centuries.
  2. A relationship or connection between things, especially words, due to shared origin.
    • There is a deep cognation between the myths of different ancient cultures.
    • The cognation of the words 'paternal' and 'father' is clear to anyone who knows Latin.
    • Linguists study the cognation between Latin and the Romance languages.
What does "cognation" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean