French word

cousin

Pronunciation

IPA/kuzɛ̃/

Meaning

  • masculine nouncousin

Example

J'ai vu mon cousin hier au marché.

I saw my cousin at the market yesterday.

Illustration for cousin (cousin)

More examples

Son cousin travaille à l'étranger.

His cousin works abroad.

Core concept

A relative on the neighboring branch of the same family tree.

Common phrases

  • son cousin préféré

    his favorite cousin

  • un cousin à l'étranger

    a cousin abroad

Similar words

oncle: A male relative who is a parent's brother or the husband of a parent's sibling.
tante: A female relative who is a parent's sister or the wife of a parent's sibling.
neveu: A male relative in the next generation who is the child of a sibling.
nièce: A female relative in the next generation who is the child of a sibling.

Definition in French

Personne liée à quelqu'un par un lien collatéral : le plus souvent l'enfant du frère ou de la sœur d'un parent.

Word origin

Cousin continues an inherited French form from Latin consobrinus, passing through Old French cosin before reaching its modern spelling.

Usage tips

  • Cousin has the sound in "zoo" in its middle, unlike coussin, which has an unvoiced s sound and means cushion.

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