Parentes

Parentes is the Portuguese term for relatives, referring to individuals connected to another person through blood, marriage, or adoption. The word is widely used in everyday language as well as in disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, genealogy, and law. It covers both consanguineous relatives and relatives by affinity, and, depending on the legal context, may include adoptive family members.

Parentes can be categorized by degree of kinship and by type of bond. Common distinctions include parente próximo (close relative), such as parents, children, and siblings, and parente distante (distant relative), such as more distant cousins or in-laws. The terms parente por consanguinidade (blood relative) and parente por afinidade (relative by marriage) are used to differentiate whether the relation is through blood or through marriage. In some contexts, adoptive relatives are included under the umbrella of parente, depending on legal recognition.

In social and legal contexts, the category of parente influences rights and obligations, including matters of inheritance, guardianship, and caregiving duties within the family. In many Portuguese-speaking countries, the order of succession and the determination of who is considered a close relative are organized by graus de parentesco (degrees of kinship) in civil law, taxation, and succession planning, as well as in social welfare considerations.

Parentesas a social network play a central role in many cultures, shaping family support systems, responsibilities, and ceremonial roles. In genealogical research, tracing parente connections helps build family trees, illuminate lineage, and understand ancestry and migration patterns.