Apparentés

Apparentés is a French term used to designate relatives or kin, referring to individuals connected by blood or by marriage. In sociological and demographic contexts, it is common to distinguish between those who are apparentés and those who are not, highlighting social networks built through family ties. The term can also appear in legal and administrative language to identify groups of people who share kinship relations within a family.

The word derives from the verb apparenter, which means to establish kinship, often through marriage. In everyday language, apparentés covers a range of relations, including direct blood relatives such as parents, children, siblings, and extended family like grandparents and cousins, as well as relatives by marriage such as in-laws (for example, beaus-beaux-parents, brothers- and sisters-in-law). Depending on context, it may also include adoptive or step-relations, though the exact scope varies by usage.

In research, the notion of apparentés helps describe household composition and social support networks. It is used to study kinship structures, inheritance practices, and familial obligations. In law and administration, laik definitions of “personnes apparentées” or “apparentés” can determine eligibility for certain rights, duties, or benefits, with the precise scope defined by specific statutes or regulations within a jurisdiction.

Overall, apparentés is a flexible concept centered on kin connections, encompassing relatives by blood and by marriage, with its boundaries shaped by cultural, legal, and methodological contexts. See also kinship, in-laws, and family networks.