Etymograph

English

kinchin

Kinchin comes from German Kindchen ‘diminutive of Kind’, from Kind ‘kid’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- ‘to give birth’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵenh₁-1‘to give birth’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*kindą1reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*kind1‘child’reconstructed
  4. Old High Germanc. 750–1050kind1‘kid’
  5. Middle High Germanc. 1050–1350kint1‘kid’
  6. Germanc. 1650–presentKind2‘kid’
  7. Germanc. 1650–presentKindchen3‘diminutive of Kind’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1567kinchin3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, German Kind
  2. 2 Wiktionary, German Kindchen
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English kinchin
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1567, Thomas Harman: “A kynchen co is a young boye, traden vp…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵenh₁-Wiktionary, German Kind‘to give birth’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*kindąWiktionary, German Kindreconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*kindWiktionary, German Kind‘child’reconstructed
  4. Old High Germanc. 750–1050kindWiktionary, German Kind‘kid’
  5. Middle High Germanc. 1050–1350kintWiktionary, German Kind‘kid’
  6. Germanc. 1650–presentKindWiktionary, German Kindchen‘kid’
  7. Germanc. 1650–presentKindchenWiktionary, English kinchin‘diminutive of Kind’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1567kinchinWiktionary, English kinchin. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1567, Thomas Harman: “A kynchen co is a young boye, traden vp…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- ‘to give birth’

general, nature, german, nation, kind, generation, native, engine, gender, king, pregnant, gene, genius, oxygen, ken, genre, gentle, genuine, indigenous, hydrogen, genocide, naive, genus, noel, genital, natal, innate, nee, germ, nativity, ingenious, nada, nascent, gentile, janata, kin, gens, puny, glycogen, genial, 110 more

through German Kind ‘kid’

kinder

Today it means

noun A child.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “kinchin”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for German Kind, German Kindchen. 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- / kinchin

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