Perekonnaliige

Perekonnaliige is the Estonian term for a member of a family. It refers to a person who is connected to another person by kinship or by marriage within a family group. The concept covers relatives by blood as well as those connected through marriage, such as spouses and in-laws, and may in some contexts include adoptive or other formally recognized family ties.

In practical use, perekonnaliige is commonly found in genealogical work, official records, and administrative language where it is necessary to describe relationships within a family or household. For example, family trees may list parents, children, grandparents, and siblings as perekonnaliikmed, while registers or forms might designate a person as a perekonnaliige for purposes of dependents, inheritance, or social benefits. The term signals inclusion in a family network rather than a strict biological relation.

Etymology and nuance: the word combines perekond (family) with liige (member), yielding a formal synonym for “family member.” In everyday Estonian, more common words such as sugulane (relative) or pereliige (family member) may be used, but perekonnaliige remains correct in formal, legal, or genealogical contexts.

See also: sugulane, lähisugulane, abikaasa, vanem, laps, vanavanem.