Kith

Information from: Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition, 2007

“Kith” is an ancient English word. It was in use in the Middle English period (1100-1499). It comes from the Old English (700-1099 CE) cȳthth; akin to cūth: known.

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From: The Oxford Dictionary of Word Histories, Glynnis Chandrell, editor, Oxford University Press, 2002

kith [Old English] Old English cȳthth, of Germanic origin, is related to couth. The original senses were ‘knowledge’, ‘one’s native land’, and ‘friends and neighbors’. The phrase kith and kin originally referred to a person’s country and relatives, later coming to specify one’s friends and relatives.