Consanguineal

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Pertaining to familial connections formed through shared ancestry or genetic ties
2. Relating to the blood relationship between individuals, emphasizing their shared lineage and heritage
3. Connected by descent from a common ancestor, especially through blood ties

Etymology: Consanguineal is a compound built from the Latin prefix "con-", meaning "together" or "with," and "sanguis," meaning "blood." Latin speakers used "cōnsanguineus" for people who shared the same blood, most often siblings or cousins. The root "sanguis" is also the source of English "sanguine," which once described a temperament thought to be governed by blood and today means cheerfully optimistic. English took the Latin word and gave it the adjective ending "-al," a suffix that means "relating to" or "pertaining to," which had itself passed into English through Old French from Latin "-ālis." The result is a precise legal and genealogical term: consanguineal describes ties of descent by blood, as opposed to ties created by marriage or adoption.