Pronunciation: /ˈkɑɡˌneɪt/

Definitions of cognate

noun a word related to another word in a different language because they have evolved from a common source

Example Sentences

A1 I learned that English and German are cognates.

A2 Many Spanish words have cognates in Italian.

B1 Understanding the cognates between French and Portuguese helped me learn both languages.

B2 As a linguist, I enjoy studying the cognates between different language families.

C1 The linguist discovered a new cognate relationship between two ancient languages.

C2 Her research on cognates in Indo-European languages has been groundbreaking in the field of linguistics.

adjective related by descent from the same ancestral language

Example Sentences

A1 English and German are cognate languages.

A2 Spanish and Italian have many cognate words.

B1 Learning French can be easier for English speakers due to cognate vocabulary.

B2 The two languages share a cognate root, making them easier to understand.

C1 His knowledge of Latin helped him recognize cognate words in other Romance languages.

C2 The linguist's research focused on tracing cognate words across different language families.

Examples of cognate in a Sentence

formal The English word 'brother' is a cognate of the Latin word 'frater'.

informal I just learned that 'hospital' is a cognate of the Spanish word 'hospital'.

slang Dude, 'camera' is like a cognate of the French word 'caméra'.

figurative The concept of 'freedom' can be seen as a cognate of 'liberty'.

Grammatical Forms of cognate

past tense

cognated

plural

cognates

comparative

more cognate

superlative

most cognate

present tense

cognates

future tense

will cognate

perfect tense

have cognated

continuous tense

is cognating

singular

cognate

positive degree

cognate

infinitive

to cognate

gerund

cognating

participle

cognating

Origin and Evolution of cognate

First Known Use: 0015 year
Language of Origin: Latin
Story behind the word: The word 'cognate' originates from the Latin word 'cognatus', which means 'blood relative' or 'kinsman'.
Evolution of the word: Over time, the meaning of 'cognate' has evolved to refer to words in different languages that have a common origin or are related in meaning.