Consanguinity
/ˌkɒn.sæŋ.ɡwɪˈnɪt.i/noun
The state of being related by blood; blood relationship.
Did you know?In medieval law and canon law, consanguinity mattered so much that close blood ties could invalidate marriages, because blood was treated as a sacred boundary with real social and spiritual force.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sengʷʰ-
“to bleed; blood”
Latin
Latin
sanguis
“blood”
Latin
Latin
con- + sanguinitās
“shared blood relationship; kinship by blood”
Old French
Old French
consanguinité
“blood relationship, kinship”
Late Middle English
English
consanguinite
“relationship by blood”
Modern English
English
consanguinity
“the state of being related by blood”
Explore more surprising origins