But wait... cattle and kine are the same thing, much like cease and desist. Kith and kin aren't the same. Do you also think it's strange to say "friends and family"?
So, nothing you said is correct. Ken [know] < OE cennan "make known; declare". Kin [family] < OE cynn "family" (among other meanings, but that one seems apt).
Kith [] < OE cyðð also meaning family, but alternatively neighbors, countrymen, or acquaintances. Obsolete and only extant today in the fixed phrase "kith and kin", but originally meaning [countrymen] and later [friends]. Your kith and kin are all your relationships, blood or otherwise. Your kin are the blood and marriage relationships.
There are two noticeable mistakes is your prior comment. One is a simple mistake of fact; kin is not related to ken. The other is the etymological fallacy, which says that the meaning of a word is or should be controlled by what it meant in the past.
>> 'kin' comes from 'ken', so 'kinfolk' are folks that think like you
Is that right? I cannot find such a reference. Could you please give a source for the etymology.
cattle and kine is another doublet. two different words used by two different groups. kith and kin, is like saying neighbours/extending group and family. but your right its not a doubling, but more a broading.
