Cognation
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A cognate relationship. countable, uncountable
"[…] these stones, I say, gratifie our sight, as having a nearer cognation with the Soul of Man, that is Rational and Intellectual, and therefore is well pleased when it meets with any outward Object that fits and agrees with those congenite Ideas her own nature is furnished with."
- 2 (anthropology) the condition of being related by blood wordnet
- 3 line of descent traced through the maternal side of the family wordnet
Example
More examples"[…] these stones, I say, gratifie our sight, as having a nearer cognation with the Soul of Man, that is Rational and Intellectual, and therefore is well pleased when it meets with any outward Object that fits and agrees with those congenite Ideas her own nature is furnished with."
Etymology
From Middle English cognacion, cognacioun, from Latin cognātiō; equivalent to cognate + -ion.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.