Basic Details
Word: Cognate
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Related because of a shared origin. In language study, a cognate is a word that comes from the same ancient root as a word in another language.
Synonyms: related, kindred, akin, allied
Antonyms: unrelated, unconnected
Word origin: Comes from Latin cognatus, 'related by birth', from co- (together) and gnatus (born).
How to Spell Cognate
Syllables: cog - nate
Tricky part: Both the g and the n are sounded, cog-nate, unlike the silent g of sign. The ending is spelt ate, as in late, not ait or et.
Watch out for: cognait, cognet, cogniate
Memory tip: Split it into a cog and the end of innate: cog + nate. Cognate words are joined like cogs in a machine.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The English word mother and the Sanskrit word matr are cognate.
Example 2: Our teacher made a chart of cognate words in English, German and Dutch.
Example 3: Many Spanish and Italian words are cognate because both languages grew out of Latin.
Fun Fact
Some words only look like cognates. English have and Latin habere seem a perfect match, but linguists trace them to different ancient roots, so they are called false cognates.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. etimology 2. dialekt 3. cognate 4. vocabulery
a) a form of a language spoken in one area
b) the study of where words come from
c) related because of a shared origin
d) all the words a person knows
Show answer
c) related because of a shared origin. Cognate is the only one spelt right; the others should be dialect, vocabulary and etymology.
Word Connection
Choose the word closest in meaning to cognate as used in the sentence:
English night and German Nacht are cognate words that grew from one older root.
a) foreign
b) borrowed
c) related
d) unconnected
Show answer
c) related. Cognate words are related through a common ancestor; borrowed words were simply taken over from another language.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
The Hindi word naam and the English word name are tangeco.
a) congest
b) cognate
c) cogent
d) octagon
Show answer
b) cognate. Cogent is a letter short and octagon needs two o's; cognate uses all seven letters once.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letters to form a word:
c_gn_te
a) u, a
b) o, e
c) a, a
d) o, a
Show answer
d) o, a. It begins like cog and ends with the ate of innate.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which pair of words are cognates rather than one borrowing from the other?
a) English father and Latin pater
b) English bungalow and Hindi bangla
c) English jungle and Hindi jangal
d) English pyjamas and Hindi paijama
Show answer
a) English father and Latin pater
2. The Latin word behind cognate meant ____.
a) written apart
b) born together
c) spoken quickly
d) known by all
Show answer
b) born together
