Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 20, 2024 is: kindred \KIN-drud\ adjective

To say that two people or things are kindred is to say that they are of a similar nature or character, or that they have the same ancestry.

// I believe she and I are kindred spirits.

// German and English are kindred languages.

[See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kindred)

Examples:

“I’ve always loved to read, long before I began to write. Prolific writer [Stephen King](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Stephen-King) explains, ‘If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.’ Another kindred soul, [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Louis-Stevenson), ‘I kept always two books in my pocket: one to read, one to write in.’ The two passions are so connected in my being.” — Kerri Thoreson, The Coeur d’Alene (Idaho)/Post Falls Press, 30 Mar. 2022

Did you know?

Family—both ancestral and in [spirit](https://bit.ly/4auJG2I)—is what puts the “kin” in kindred. This word comes from the Old English noun for “kinship,” cynrǣden, which combines cynn (meaning “[kin](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kin)”) and ræden, meaning “condition.” Kindred first entered English as a [noun](https://bit.ly/41usrKX) during the Middle Ages. That noun, which can refer to a group of related individuals or to one's own relatives, gave rise to the adjective kindred in the 14th century. Other words akin to kin include [kinfolk](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kinfolk) (and [kinsfolk](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kinsfolk)), [kinship](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kinship), [kinsman](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kinsman), and [kinswoman](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kinswoman).