English
cognation
Cognation comes from Latin cognātiō ‘kindred’, from nātiō ‘birth’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- ‘to produce’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵenh₁-1‘to produce’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵénh₁tis2‘birth, production’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gnātiō3‘family’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnātiō4‘birth’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcognātiō5‘kindred’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500cognacion5
- Englishearliest quotation 1662cognation5
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh₁tis
- 2 Wiktionary, Proto-Italic *gnātiō
- 3 Wiktionary, Latin natio
- 4 Wiktionary, Latin cognatio
- 5 Wiktionary, English cognation
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1662, Henry More, An Antidote Against Atheism: “[…] these stones, I say, gratifie our sight, as…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵenh₁-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh₁tis‘to produce’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵénh₁tisWiktionary, Proto-Italic *gnātiō‘birth, production’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*gnātiōWiktionary, Latin natio‘family’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnātiōWiktionary, Latin cognatio‘birth’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcognātiōWiktionary, English cognation‘kindred’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500cognacionWiktionary, English cognation
- Englishearliest quotation 1662cognationWiktionary, English cognation. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1662, Henry More, An Antidote Against Atheism: “[…] these stones, I say, gratifie our sight, as…”
Formed from cognate + -ion
Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- ‘to produce, give birth, beget’
Proto-Indo-European *ǵn̥h₁tós ‘begotten’
Proto-Italic *gnātos ‘born’
Latin gnātus ‘born’
Latin cognātus ‘related by blood’
English cognate
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- ‘to produce’
general, king, german, engine, nature, gender, genuine, gene, genius, oxygen, pregnant, ken, genre, indigenous, native, kindness, genocide, hydrogen, genus, kin, noel, naive, genital, kinder, nee, germ, ingenious, innate, natal, nada, nascent, puny, genial, nativity, janata, gingerly, glycogen, genitive, azadi, estrogenic, 101 more
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh₁tis ‘birth, production’
kind, gentle, genesis, genetics, gens, gentile, genteel, jaunty, nomen, 13 more
through Latin nātiō ‘birth’
Today it means
noun A cognate relationship.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “cognation”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh₁tis, Proto-Italic *gnātiō, Latin natio, Latin cognatio. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- / cognation