DID YOU KNOW?
Here are some fun and interesting facts about family member names in English—great for language learning or just curiosity:
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Family comes from the Latin familia, which originally meant "household servants," not relatives!
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Relative comes from a word meaning "to carry back," implying how families are connected.
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Grandmother / Grandfather are often shortened to Grandma / Grandpa, but English has many nicknames: Nana, Nanny, Gran, Pop, Papa, Gramps.
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Grandparent is gender-neutral and relatively modern in common use.
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Mother and Father are among the oldest words in English, dating back thousands of years.
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Mom (British/Australian English: Mum) and Dad are examples of baby-talk words (easy sounds babies can say early).
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Parents-in-law: the "in-law" part means related by law (marriage), not biology.
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Child has an irregular plural: children (not childs).
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Son and daughter come from Old English; daughter has many silent letters because pronunciation changed over time.
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Kid originally meant a young goat before it meant a child.
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Sibling is gender-neutral and was popularized by psychologists in the 20th century.
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Brother and sister are among the most stable English words—very similar across Germanic languages.
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Twin comes from a word meaning "two."
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Uncle and aunt come from French and Latin roots.
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Cousin is used for many relationships in English—unlike some languages that have different words.
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Nephew / niece come from Latin words meaning "grandchild."
• English often reuses words informally: bro, sis, fam.
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Chosen family is a modern term for close friends treated like relatives.
TRY SOME OF OUR OTHER USEFUL VOCABULARY PRACTICE TESTS:
In the city (things/places) 1
Allergies
Professions 1
Family members 1
Housework and household chores 1
Politics/Elections/Voting 1
Politics/Elections/Voting 2
Renovations/Home Improvement 1
Renovations/Home Improvement 2
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