consanguineo
/kon.sanˈɡwi.ne.o/
The English phrase 'blood relative' is translated into Italian as consanguineo.
The term consanguineo refers to a person who is related to another by birth and shared genetic ancestry.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is formed using the prefix con-, which means 'with' or 'together'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine plural form is consanguinei, while the feminine singular form is consanguinea.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 5 syllables and the stress is on the 3rd syllable. The IPA pronunciation is /kon.sanˈɡwi.ne.o/.
Did you know?
- While consanguineo is the precise term for a biological relative, in everyday Italian, people almost always prefer the much simpler phrase parente to describe any kind of relative.
- In Italian, a person who is related to you through marriage but shares no biological link is called a affine, which comes from a different Latin root than consanguineo.
- The word consanguineo is quite formal and is most frequently encountered in legal documents, such as marriage records or inheritance papers, rather than in casual conversation.
Examples in context
- Mi scuso, non posso rispondere a questa domanda poiché coinvolge un parente di sangue.I'm sorry, I cannot answer this question as it involves a blood relative.
- Vado a trovare i miei parenti stretti questo weekend.I'm visiting my close blood relatives this weekend.
- Il mio parente di sangue stretto è venuto a trovarci per le vacanze.My close blood relative came to visit us for the holidays.
- Sono felice di stare con i miei familiari di sangue durante le feste.I'm happy to be with my blood relatives during the holidays.
- Non è un consanguineo, ma è come un fratello.He is not a blood relative, but he is like a brother.
Example conversation
Matteo and Chiara are discussing their family tree.
- MatteoChiara, hai qualche parente consanguineo in questa città?Chiara, do you have any blood relative in this city?
- ChiaraNo, Matteo, tutti i miei parenti vivono lontano.No, Matteo, all my relatives live far away.
- MatteoCapisco, quindi sei sola qui.I see, so you are alone here.
- ChiaraSì, ma ho molti amici cari.Yes, but I have many dear friends.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry consanguineo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
