Consanguineous
Adjective
- Relating to or denoting people descended from the same ancestor.
Example Sentences
“The genealogist discovered the families were consanguineous, tracing their shared lineage back six generations.”
“The patients are not consanguineous; they are husband and wife.”
“While the friends almost look like sisters, they are not consanguineous.”
Word Origin
Latin, early 17th century
Why this word?
“Consanguineous” originated from the Latin “consanguineus,” meaning “of the same blood,” which is a combination of the words “con” (“together”) and “sanguis” (“blood”). Today, blood isn’t required to find consanguineous connections. Testing DNA is a relatively recent invention, but now almost anyone can provide a saliva or cheek swab sample to receive their genetic profile and a map of their relatives from any one of several services. Even beyond discovering consanguineous relations, people are able to learn more about their health and genetic profile.
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