Editor's Corner

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and I’m feeling family friendly (not unusual), so I’m going to share some not-so-familiar familial words that I’ve gathered from here and there.

We’re all acquainted with the common familial words like mother, father, sister, brother—even sibling. But there are other words, new and old, that are less common. Those are the words I’m sharing today.

I’m going to start off slow and easy with a few words you probably know. These words are all derived from the word kin, which is a noun that indicates a group of people of common ancestry:

• kinkeeping (noun): the labor involved in maintaining and enhancing family ties, including organizing social occasions, remembering birthdays, sending gifts, etc.
• kinsperson (noun): a gender-neutral word for kinswoman or kinsman; a person who shares common ancestry
• kinship (noun): the quality or state of being related by common ancestry; also, of the same kind of nature—having affinity

And now I’ll move to a fairly new word that I love:

• nibling (noun): a gender-neutral word for niece or nephew

I’ll follow that amusing word with a couple of uncommon but noteworthy words:

• agnate (noun): a relative whose kinship is traceable exclusively through males
• enate (noun): a relative whose kinship is traceable exclusively through females

And finally, some older words that are completely new to me but oh-so-interesting.
Disclaimer: you may not find these words in the dictionary; I found them in an online publication called The Week. Click here to read more about each word.

• fadu: your father’s sister (Old English made a distinction between maternal and paternal aunts and uncles)
• modrige: your mother’s sister
• fœdra: your father’s brother
• avuncle: your mother’s brother
• patruel: child of your paternal uncle; also a child of your own brother
• brother-uterine: your half-brother from the same mother
• double cousin: full cousin, sharing all four grandparents—occurs when a pair of sisters marry a pair of brothers
• machetonim: the parents of your child’s spouse

And that does it! I want to wish all of you mothers, grandmothers, and mother figures a very happy Mother’s Day. ❤️🌺🌷

Donna Bradley Burcher |Technical Editor, Advisory | jack henry

Pronouns she/her/hers

9660 Granite Ridge Drive, San Diego CA 92123

Symitar Education Resources (sharepoint.com)

About Editor’s Corner

Editor’s Corner keeps your communication skills sharp by providing information on grammar, punctuation, JHA style, and all things English. As editors, we spend our days reading, researching, and revising other people’s writing. We love to spend a few extra minutes to share what we learn with you and keep it fun while we’re doing it.

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