kinfolk

[ kin-fohk ]

plural noun

, (used with a plural verb)

1. Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S. relatives or kindred.

kinfolk

/ ˈkɪnˌfəʊk /

plural noun

1. another word for kinsfolk

Word History and Origins

Origin of kinfolk¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English kinnes-folk; kin, folk

Example Sentences

The best example of this is the famous "Key & Peele" skit of President Obama reserving dap for skin folk and kinfolk alike while extending the standard handshake for white folks.

From Salon

Consequently, my kinfolk let buckshot flow freely from their gun barrels until Major King and his accomplice ceased to breathe and walk upright.

From Salon

Of course, like most Americans, we were paying no attention whatsoever to developments in Sudan before the fighting started — and before we learned that our own kinfolk were in danger.

From Salon

The club has long faced hostility from its supposed political kinfolk — “perverted” is one of the kinder epithets hurled at members — and today’s atmosphere certainly isn’t any more welcoming.

From Los Angeles Times

Cozzens also takes an admirably nuanced approach to the Muscogee, Cherokee and Choctaw, who assisted Jackson over their Red Stick kinfolk, a detail that further complicates simplistic renderings of Indigenous-White relations.

From Washington Post