kith

Etymology

Came into English from Middle English kitthe, meaning “kinsmen, relations”, from Old English cȳþþ, cȳþþu (“kinship, kinsfolk, relations”), from Proto-Germanic *kunþiþō (“knowledge, acquaintance”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (“to know”). It is cognate with Old High German kundida (“kith”) and kundī (“knowledge”), and Gothic ????? (kunþi, “knowledge”). See also couth and -th.