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cognate — related in origin, especially descended from the same ancestral language

Part of speech: ADJECTIVE

Definition: related in origin, especially descended from the same ancestral language

Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈkɒɡ.neɪt/

Example Sentences

  • Because Spanish and English share Latin roots, words like 'hospital' are cognates—Spanish learners basically get free vocabulary!
  • My linguistics teacher got way too excited explaining that 'mother' and the Korean-borrowed word have no cognate relationship at all.
  • The word 'father' in English is cognate with 'Vater' in German and 'pater' in Latin.

cognate

ADJECTIVE

[/ˈkɒɡ.neɪt/]

related in origin, especially descended from the same ancestral language

English 'night' and German 'Nacht' are cognate words from the same ancient root.
💡 Concept

English 'night' and German 'Nacht' are cognate words from the same ancient root.

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🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/ˈkɒɡ.neɪt/
🇬🇧 UK/ˈkɒɡ.neɪt/

🌳Etymology

Prefixco--
Rootgnat

Origin

From Latin cognatus, meaning 'born together' or 'related by blood', formed from co- (together) and gnatus (born).

Breakdown

co- (together) + gnat- (born, from gnasci 'to be born') + -e

🎵Rhyme

gate
mate
fate
rate
late

🔗Collocations

cognate pairs
cognate word
cognate language
cognate with
true cognate
false cognate
linguistically cognate

📝Examples

😄 Fun example

“Because Spanish and English share Latin roots, words like 'hospital' are cognates—Spanish learners basically get free vocabulary!”

😄 Fun example

“My linguistics teacher got way too excited explaining that 'mother' and the Korean-borrowed word have no cognate relationship at all.”

“The word 'father' in English is cognate with 'Vater' in German and 'pater' in Latin.”

😄 Fun example

“Watch out for false cognates—Spanish 'embarazada' looks like 'embarrassed' but actually means 'pregnant'!”

“Learning cognate words is one of the fastest ways to expand your vocabulary in a related language.”

📚Related Words

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