noun
- words in different languages that have a common etymological origin
- words within the same language that are derived from the same root
Usage: linguistics
Usage: linguistics
Examples
- English ‘mother’ and German ‘Mutter’ are cognates.
- The Spanish ‘padre’ and Italian ‘padre’ are obvious cognates.
- Students studied cognates to understand language relationships.
- French ‘eau’ and Spanish ‘agua’ are not cognates despite both meaning water.
- The teacher explained how cognates can help with vocabulary learning.
- English ‘night’ and German ‘Nacht’ are Germanic cognates.
- Recognizing cognates makes reading foreign texts easier.