ChatterBank1 min ago
Second and third cousins
1 Answers
Could anyone tell me the definition of second and third cousins? I always thought my cousin's children were my second cousins, but my sister-in-law says they are my first cousins once removed. What does it all mean???
Answers
Only 1 answer
Best Answer
No best answer has yet been selected by Curlylox2006. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.
For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.
"First cousins" share the same grandparents but not the same parents; that is, your first cousins are the children of your aunts and uncles. "Second cousins" share the same great-grandparents...that is, they are the same-generation children of first cousins. "Third cousins" share the same great-great-grandparents. For each further stage, add another �great'.
If one of your first cousins has a child, then that child is your "first cousin once removed". The 'once removed' element just means that a further generation is involved. In the same way - looking in the opposite age-direction - you are the first cousin once removed of any first cousin of your parents. All that �once removed' means, then, is that the two people are a single generation apart. Your grannie's first cousin is your first cousin twice removed, because there is now a two-generation gap. And so it goes on.
If one of your first cousins has a child, then that child is your "first cousin once removed". The 'once removed' element just means that a further generation is involved. In the same way - looking in the opposite age-direction - you are the first cousin once removed of any first cousin of your parents. All that �once removed' means, then, is that the two people are a single generation apart. Your grannie's first cousin is your first cousin twice removed, because there is now a two-generation gap. And so it goes on.
Only 1 answer
