— cognateness , n. — cognatic /kog nat"ik/ , adj.
/kog"nayt/ , adj.
1. related by birth; of the same parentage, descent, etc.
2. Ling. descended from the same language or form: such cognate languages as French and Spanish.
3. allied or similar in nature or quality.
n.
4. a person or thing cognate with another.
5. a cognate word: The English word cold is a cognate of German kalt.
[ 1635-45; cognatus, equiv. to co- CO- + -gnatus (ptp. of gnasci, nasci to be born) ]