Cousin

Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics

Images

A colorful family tree diagram visually mapping cousin relationships across generations, with second cousins highlighted in the same row as first and third cousins, showing their shared great-grandparents.

A kinship diagram shows Ego at the center with relatives labeled as parallel cousins or cross cousins based on whether their parents are same-sex or opposite-sex siblings of Ego's parents. Blue shapes represent parallel cousins, and orange shapes represent cross cousins, with a key explaining the relationships.

Cousin: References & Edit History

More Articles On This Topic

consanguinity
Degrees of kin

Article Contributors

Primary Contributors

Teagan Wolter
Teagan Wolter is Associate Editor of Anthropology at Encyclopædia Britannica.

Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Type	Description	Contributor	Date
	Article title updated for style.	The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica	Nov 06, 2026
	Added cross-reference.	Teagan Wolter	Dec 06, 2024
	New article added.	Teagan Wolter	Nov 01, 2024