Relation (kinship) terminology
Understanding of relation terminology is an essential part of any
work related to genealogy. Some terms that define a relation degree, for
example, the widespread word "ancestor", has a general meaning:
any person from the family tree, starting from the
grandfather. However, there are terms that define a relation degree between
persons succinctly. Such terms must be used within contextwhere they
correspond to their meaning. The following diagram depicts
an understanding of relation terms.

1-2 - man and wife;
THE FIRST RELATION DEGREE: 1-3 - father and son,
1-4 - father and daughter,
2-3 - mother and son,
2-4 - mother and daughter;
THE SECOND RELATION DEGREE: 1-8 and 1-11 - grandfather and granddaughters,
2-10 and 2-12 - grandmother and grandsons;
THE THIRD RELATION DEGREE: 1-15 and 1-17 - great-grandfather and great-grandchildren,
3-10 - uncle and nephew,
4-8 - aunt and niece;
THE FOURTH RELATION DEGREE: 8-11 and 10-12 - cousins,
3-15 and 3-17 - grand-uncle and grand-nephews,
4-14 and 4-16 - grand-aunt and grand-nieces;
THE FIFTH RELATION DEGREE: 12-15 and 12-17 - cousin of one's father or mother and children of one's first cousin;
THE SIXTH RELATION DEGREE: 14-15 and 16-17 - second cousins;
THE FIRST DEGREE OF PROPERTY: 1-5 - father-in-law (husband's father) and daughter-in-law,
1-6 - father-in-law (wife's father) and son-in-law,
2-6 - mother-in-law (wife's mother) and son-in-law,
2-5 - mother-in-law (husband's mother) and daughter-in-law;
THE SECOND DEGREE OF PROPERTY: 7-8 - daughter-in-law and sister-in-law,
9-10 - son-in-law and brother-in-law (wife's brother),
13-16 - son-in-law and sister-in-law (wife's sister),
17-18 - brother-in-law (husband's brother) and sister-in-law (the brother's wife);
THE THIRD DEGREE OF PROPERTY: 13-19 - brothers-in-law (husbands of the sisters),
18-20 - sisters-in-law (wives of the brothers).
Relation terminology is varied and complicated. Most of the
terms have vanished from modern language and are used rarely. Some terms
are used only within certain communities. In fact, when you are talking
with your relatives or elderly persons you may hear an unfamiliar word
in conversation. Therefore, there is reason to become more familiar
with relation terminology.
There are three groups of terms:
- relation (blood ties),
- quality (by marriages),
- and close (spiritual) unrelated relations.
Relation terms
When becoming familiar with relation terms,
remember that terms of blood relation contain keywords and attributes
of relation degree.
Keywords:
- Grandparent, grandmother - mother of father or mother, wife
of grandfather.
- Brother - each of sons of single parents.
- Bratan, bratanik, bratenja, bratenik,
bratel'nik† - cousin.
- Bratanna† - brother's daughter,
niece on brother's line.
- Bratel'nica† - kinswoman in general, a
relative on grandfather's or grandmother's line, or a distant
relative.
- Bratych† - brother's son, nephew on
brother's line.
- Grandson - daughter's or son's son; also,
nephew's or niece's son.
- Granddaughter, vnuka† - daughter's or
son's daughter; also, nephew's or niece's daughter.
- Grandfather - mother's or father's father.
- Dedina, dedka† - aunt on uncle's
line.
- Dedich† - direct heir on grandfather's
line.
- Daughter - female towards her parents.
- Dshcherich† - nephew on aunt's
line.
- Dshchersha† - niece on aunt's
line.
- Uncle - mother's or father's brother.
- Mother - female towards her children.
- Father - male towards her children.
- Otcenachal'nik† - the eldest in the
generation.
- Otchinnik, otchich† - son, heir.
- Nephew - brother's or sister's son.
- Niece - brother's or sister's daughter.
- Plemjash† - relative.
- Progenitor - the first known couple of the family line, that
started the family.
- Forefather, prashchur† -
great-great-grandfather's or great-great-grandmother's
parent.
- Forefather, rodonachal'nik† - the first
known person of the line, that started the pedigree.
- Sister - each of daughters of single parents.
- Sestrennica† - cousin, daughter of
mother's or father's sister.
- Sestrenka, sestrina, sestrichka† -
cousin.
- Sestrenich, sestrich† - son of mother's
or father's sister, nephew of the sister's line.
- Son - male towards her parents.
- Aunt - mother's or father's sister.
Attributes of relation degree:
- Grand uncle - grandfather's or grandmother's
brother.
- Grand aunt - grandfather's or grandmother's
sister.
- Vnuchatnyj, vnuchatyj† - when one talks
about a relation that begins three or more generations ago.
- Dvojurodnyj† - when one talks
about a relation that begins two generations ago.
- Blood - when one talks about a relation within a single
family.
- Lesser uncle - father's or mother's brother.
- Lesser aunt - father's or mother's sister.
- Homogeneous - when one talks about an origin from a single
father.
- Single-uterine, odnoutrobnyj† - when one
talks about an origin from a single mother.
- Own, polnorodnyj† - when one talks about an
origin from single parents.
- Pre - prefix that designates a relation in distant ascending
or descending order.
- Privenchannyj† - when one talks about an
origin from one of the parents, and when the child had been born before
the parents married, but legitimated later.
- Stepchild, Svodnyj† - a child that was born
to their husband or wife during a previous relationship.
- Trojurodnyj† - see vnuchatyj.
†This is non-English words, this is transliteration
of Russian words. It's impossible to translate some Russian native
dialect words.
Property terms
- Bratanikha† - cousin's wife.
- Brother's one, bratova† - brother's
wife.
- Widow - a woman whose husband has died and who has not
married again.
- Widower - a man whose wife has died and who has not married
again.
- Brother-in-law - husband's brother.
- Wife - a man's wife is the woman he is married to.
- fiancé - a man to whom a woman is engaged to be
married.
- Sister-in-law (zolovica, zolova)† -
husband's sister, sometimes -- brother's wife.
- Brother-in-law, zjat'† - husband of
one's daughter, sister, sister-in-law.
- Husband - a woman's husband is the man she is married
to.
- Daughter-in-law - son's wife.
- Son-in-law's father, daughter-in-law's father,
son-in-law's mother, daughter-in-law's mother - parents of
a couple and their relatives towards to each other.
- Father-in-law - husband's father.
- Mother-in-law - husband's mother.
- Connection - preson in law relations by wife's or
husband's lines.
- Brother-in-laws, svojak† - husbands of two
sisters.
- Svojaki dvojurodnye† - husbands of two
cousins.
- Daughter-in-law (snokha, synokha)† -
son's wife.
- Snoshennica† - brother-in-law's wife,
wives of two brothers, daughter-in-laws.
- Suprug† - husband.
- Supruga† - wife.
- Father-in-law - wife's father.
- Mother-in-law - wife's mother.
- Brother-in-law (shurin)† - wife's
btoher.
Unrelated relation terms
Unrelated relations are of great value in a persons' life. These
relations impacted genealogical terms. It is worth noting that
unrelated relation terms are close to blood relation terms. Try
not to confuse them.
- Brat krestnyj† - godfather's son.
- Brat krestovyj, brat po krestu, brat
nazvannyj† - men who exchanged their crosses, worn
next to the skin.
- Ded krestnyj† - godfather's
father.
- Doch' nazvannaja† - foster-child.
- Under-tutor - a person who looks after and oversees the
child.
- Kum, kuma† - see godfather and
godmother.
- Godmother, mat' krestovaja† - a woman
who takes the child from font during baptizing.
- Mat' nazvannaja† - foster-child's
mother.
- Mat' molochnaja† - wet nurse.
- Mat' posazhennaja† - a woman who
replaces fiancé’s mother on wedding.
- Stepmother - another wife of one's father, foster
mother.
- Godfather - a man who takes the child from font during
baptizing.
- Otec nazvanyj† - foster-child's
father.
- Otec pribesednyj, otec posazhenyj, otec
rjazhenyj† - a man who replaces fiance's
father on wedding.
- Stepfather - another husband of one's mother, foster
father.
- Stepdaughter - a daughter that was born during a previous
relationship, relative to a foster parent.
- Stepson - a son that was born during a previous
relationship, relative to a foster parent.
- Stepchildren - brother and sisters that were born from
different parents.
- Godson (syn krestnyj, krestnik)† - a male
relatively to man or woman who takes the child from font during
baptizing.
- Syn nazvanyj† - foster-child.
- Adopted boy (usynovlennyj)† - a male
relatively to his foster parents.
- Adopted girl (udocherennaja)† - a female
relatively to her foster parents.
† These are non-English words impossible to translate from Russian native dialects.
"Where are your roots? Guide to pedigree
compiling" Copyright © Vitalij Jakovlevich Bomash