blutbürtig

Blutbürtig is a German adjective used to describe someone who is related by blood. It emphasizes biological lineage rather than legal or social ties such as adoption, marriage, or civil status. In genealogical, historical, and anthropological writing, blutbürtig contrasts with terms that denote social relationship.

Etymology: The term combines Blut (blood) with bürtig, related to gebürtig meaning born of or native to. The compound literally conveys “born of blood.”

Usage: The form is most common in older or formal texts. It is closely related to blutsverwandt (blood-related) or Blutverwandtschaft (blood kinship), though those forms are more widely used today. In contemporary German, scholars typically prefer blutsverwandt or biologisch verwandt when referring to biological relatedness, while blutbürtig may appear in discussions of hereditary rights, lineage claims, or historical descriptions that emphasize bloodlines. In genetics and medicine, more precise terms such as biologisch verwandt or genetisch verwandt are used.

See also: Blutsverwandtschaft, Blutlinie, Consanguinity. The term sits within a family of expressions about biological relationships and is generally considered archaic or stylistically marked in modern usage.