Kynslóð

Kynslóð is an Icelandic term meaning generation or line of descent. In a genealogical context, it denotes the set of individuals who share a common ancestor and occupy the same generation in a family tree: for example, your parents constitute the generation directly above you, while you form the next generation for your own children. More broadly, kynslóð refers to a cohort of people born within a similar time frame who are exposed to comparable social and cultural conditions. Demographers often treat a generation as about 20 to 30 years, though the exact length varies by society and period.

Etymology: The word derives from Old Norse origins and Icelandic components kyn (“kind, lineage”) and slóð (“trace, track” or “line”), reflecting a sense of lineage and inherited sequence.

Usage: In Icelandic scholarship and media, kynslóð is used to discuss differences between generations in attitudes, technology use, and life choices, or to trace family descent. It is common to distinguish between generations in demographic analyses and in discussions of cultural change, while also referring to specific named cohorts (for example, widely used terms for younger generations) with Icelandic renderings or loanwords.

See also: generation, genealogy, lineage, cohort.