kith

Etymology

From Middle English kith (“kinsmen, relations”), 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.

noun

  1. (archaic or obsolete, uncountable) Friends and acquaintances.
    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. 2000-08-03, Michael Kelly, “New Hope For Nice Guys”, in Orlando Sentinel, retrieved 2013-04-06
  2. (Northern England, Scotland, rural, countable) An acquaintance or a friend.

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