beslægtede

Beslægtede is a Danish term used to describe people who are related by blood or by marriage. In everyday language it corresponds to “relatives” or “kin.” The word can function as an adjective meaning related, and it also appears as a plural noun referring to relatives themselves, for example in genealogical records or legal texts.

Etymology and form: The term is built from slægt ("lineage, kin") with the prefix be- to indicate relation; Danish still uses beslægtede in plural form to designate a group of related people.

Contexts and usage: In genealogy and family history research, beslægtede refers to members of a family network, including immediate family and more distant kin. In inheritance, succession, or law, the term is used to identify those who are legally recognized as next of kin or who may have rights by virtue of their relation. In biographical and journalistic writing, it may be used to describe a person’s relatives or connections.

Notes: The term has cognates in other Scandinavian languages—Norwegian beslektede, Swedish besläktade—reflecting a common linguistic heritage.

See also: kinship, genealogy, inheritance law.