kith

noun

Etymology: From Middle English kitthe (“kinsmen, relations”), from Old English cȳþþ, cȳþþu (“kinship, kinsfolk, relations”), from Proto-Germanic *kunþiþō (“knowledge, acquaintance”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (“to know”). Cognate with Old High German kundida (“kith”), kundī (“knowledge”), Gothic 𐌺𐌿𐌽𐌸𐌹 (kunþi, “knowledge”). More at couth, -th.

1. Friends and acquaintances.

   “Alack, would that Edward listened more to me and less to the queen’s kith! These Woodvilles!”

   “The demography-crossing thing that undergirds this election year, I think, is a strong, broad desire to punish Clinton and his kith with a denial of further power.”

2. An acquaintance or a friend.
3. A person who is not related to a child but has social connections to the child's family, especially when considered as a caregiver or possible caregiver for the child.

   “The Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Toronto (the society) seeks an order finding the child in need of protection and placing him in the care and custody of a kith, H.O., for a period of six months, subject to terms of supervision by the society. [Footnote:] ‘[K]ith’ refers to a community member such as a family friend or neighbour who agrees to provide care to a child until the child can safely return home.”