kinfolk

American  

[kin-fohk] / ˈkɪnˌfoʊk /

Also kinfolks,

plural noun

(used with a plural verb)

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

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kinfolk British  

/ ˈkɪnˌfəʊk /

plural noun

1. another word for kinsfolk

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Etymology

Origin of kinfolk

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 • Feb. 19, 2024

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 • Apr. 26, 2023

In many ways, the relationship between these kinfolk communities is mutually beneficial and harmonious.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 17, 2022

And it all started in those early years with her inclination to view trees as kinfolk.

From New York Times • Jul. 30, 2021

It was no use selling 8800 since kinfolk from Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina were now moving in, and on most days, they gathered on the sidewalks and the porches for gossip and cookouts.

From "American Street" by Ibi Zoboi