kith and kin
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
A fixed-order word pair (irreversible binomial); full definition pending editorial review.
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
I endorsed the destruction of rats and fleas, my own kith and kin, I preached … without adulteration the grand doctrine of the eternal Law of Love of all Life.
David might not be his real kith and kin, but he was honest, and he was hard - working … willing to be at his beck and call and to labour long hours, with only a pittance for his troubles.
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Listed on Wikipedia “Irreversible binomial” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29).
Common questions
What does “kith and kin” mean?
A fixed-order word pair (irreversible binomial); full definition pending editorial review.
Is “kith and kin” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.