kith

Noun

kith (usually uncountable, plural kiths)

1. (archaic, obsolete, usually) Friends and acquaintances.
   • Alack, would that Edward listened more to me and less to the queen’s kith! These Woodvilles!1843, Edward Bulwer[-]Lytton, The Last of the Barons, London; New York, N.Y.: George Routledge and Sons […], →OCLC
   • 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.2000 August 3, Michael Kelly, “New Hope For Nice Guys”, in Orlando Sentinel, archived from the original on 18 Jun 2013
2. (Northern England, Scotland, countable, usually, rustic) An acquaintance or a friend.
3. (countable, uncountable, usually, social work) 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...2024 May 14, W. Kapurura, “Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Toronto v. A.M., 2024 ONCJ 235”, in CanLII, retrieved 30 May 2026