kith

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See also: kiþ and kið

English

Etymology

From Middle English kith (kinsmen, relations),[1] from Old English cȳþþ, cȳþþu (kinship, kinsfolk, relations), from Proto-Germanic *kunþiþō (knowledge, acquaintance), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (to know). Cognate with Old High German kundida (kith), kundī (knowledge), Gothic 𐌺𐌿𐌽𐌸𐌹 (kunþi, knowledge). More at couth, -th.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /kɪθ/
  • Audio (UK):(file)
    Rhymes: -ɪθ

Noun

kith (usually uncountable, plural kiths)

  1. (archaic or obsolete, uncountable) Friends and acquaintances.
    • 1843, Edward Bulwer[-]Lytton, The Last of the Barons, London; New York, N.Y.: George Routledge and Sons , →OCLC:
      Alack, would that Edward listened more to me and less to the queen’s kith! These Woodvilles!
    • 2000 August 3, Michael Kelly, “New Hope For Nice Guys”, in Orlando Sentinel, retrieved 2013-04-06:
      The demography-crossing thing that undergirds this election year, I think, is a strong, broad desire to punish Clinton and his kith with a denial of further power.
  2. (Northern England, Scotland, rustic, countable) An acquaintance or a friend.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

See also

References

  1. ^ Arika Okrent (2019 July 5) “12 Old Words That Survived by Getting Fossilized in Idioms”, in Mental Floss, Pocket, retrieved 2021-10-08

Albanian

Etymology

Variant of kic (I bite).

Noun

kith m

  1. veil of mystery
  2. fog covering the tops of mountains

Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old English cȳþþ, cȳþþu, from Proto-Germanic *kunþiþō.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /kiθ/, /ˈkið(ə)/, /kuθ/, /ˈkuð(ə)/

Noun

kith (plural kithes)

  1. One's motherland or birthplace; the region or territory where one belongs
  2. One's kin, ethnicity, or lineage; the people one belongs to.
  3. One's descendant; a person from one's line.
  4. Relation; connection by blood, heritage.
  5. (rare) learning, facts
  6. (rare) tradition, good manners.
  7. (rare) The state of knowing someone.

Descendants

  • English: kith
  • Scots: kith, kyth, kythe

References