COUSIN, a term of relation between the children of brothers and sisters, who in the first generation are called cousins-german, in the second generation, second cousins, and so on. If sprung from the relations by the father's side, they are denominated paternal cousins; if on the mother's, maternal. The word is commonly derived from consanguineus; though Menage deduces it from congenius, or congenus, q. d. ex eodem genere.