kin

The word “kin” means one's relatives, considered together as a group. In plain terms, your relatives or family, taken as a whole — used in slightly formal or old-fashioned contexts.

“Kin” is pronounced kihn (/kɪn/ in IPA).

Here is “kin” used in a sentence: “She travelled home to spend the holidays with her kin.”

Depending on how it is used, “kin” can be a noun and an adjective.

The word “kin” comes from Latin. From Old English cynn, "kind, sort, family," from a very old Germanic root also behind "kind" and, further back, related to Latin genus.

“Kin” is an uncommon word in modern English.

“Kin” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: one's relatives, considered together as a group.

"Kin" specifically refers to one's relatives considered as a group, while "family" is a broader, more everyday word that can also include a household or immediate family unit regardless of blood ties. "Kin" tends to sound more formal or literary.

"Kin" is a collective noun referring to relatives as a group, and it does not change form for singular or plural — you would say "my kin are visiting," using a plural verb, even though the word itself has no separate plural spelling.

Yes, "kin" can function as an adjective meaning related by blood or marriage, as in "kin relations" or describing two people as "kin to each other."

"Kin" carries a slightly formal or old-fashioned tone compared to everyday words like "relatives" or "family," and it often appears in legal, literary, or genealogical contexts.