Present-Day English → Middle English · historical continuation

SOUND

Middle English kinrede loses the final weak syllable inherited from -ræden, while an intrusive d develops between n and r and becomes fixed in kindred. The edge preserves kindrede as a medieval variant without treating kind as a component.

MEANING

The family, lineage, blood-relation, and kinship noun continues; attributive use produces the adjective for shared ancestry and later for related origin, nature, or character.

SCHOLAR / EDITOR

Elizabeth Closs Traugott · Merriam-Webster Editors · American Heritage Dictionary Editors

Middle English → Old English · inheritance

SOUND

Middle English kinrede continues late Old English cynræden / cynrēde through normal replacement of Old English c and y spellings, reduction of the second element, and loss of inherited inflection; the d-bearing variant is later.

MEANING

Old English kinship and kin-conditioned state develops the medieval family, lineage, blood-relations, nation, and collective-relatives field.

SCHOLAR / EDITOR

Merriam-Webster Editors · American Heritage Dictionary Editors · Middle English Dictionary Editors

Old English → Old English · compound component

SOUND

The first element of cyn-ræden is Old English cynn in compound form; the compound boundary does not assert a sound change from the whole word to cynn.

MEANING

Kin, family, lineage, and people supplies the social relation whose condition or collective state the compound names.

SCHOLAR / EDITOR

Merriam-Webster Editors · American Heritage Dictionary Editors · Elizabeth Closs Traugott