Where does “kin” come from?
kin (Middle Low German) comes from Old Saxon kinni, from Proto-West Germanic kinnu, from Proto-Germanic kinnuz, from Proto-Indo-European ǵénu- — jaw, cheek, chin; cheek.
Ancestry of “kin”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Saxon | kinni | chin |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | kinnu | chin, jaw |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | kinnuz | cheek; chin, jaw |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵénu- | jaw, cheek, chin; cheek |