/kith/ , n.
1. acquaintances, friends, neighbors, or the like; persons living in the same general locality and forming a more or less cohesive group.
2. kindred.
3. a group of people living in the same area and forming a culture with a common language, customs, economy, etc., usually endogamous.
[ bef. 900; ME; OE cyth, earlier cyththu kinship, knowledge, equiv. to cuth COUTH 2 + -thu -TH 1 ; akin to Goth kunthi, G Kunde knowledge ]