English
kissing cousin
From kissing + cousin.
A compound of kissing + cousin
Proto-Germanic *kussijandz
Proto-West Germanic *kussijandī
Old English cyssende
Middle English kissynge ‘kiss’
English kissing
Proto-Indo-European *swésōr ‘sister’
…
Latin sobrīnus ‘maternal cousin’
Latin cōnsobrīnus ‘maternal cousin; first cousin’
Old French cosin ‘kinsman’
Middle English cosin ‘kinsman; cousin’
English cousin
Today it means
noun A relatively distant relative, or a friend, who is familiar enough to be greeted with a kiss.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / kissing cousin