30 SYSTEMS OF CONSANGUINITY AND AFFINITY 



of the nearest relationships by special terms. This, carried far enough, woufd 

 realize the Roman plan, but it would render the nomenclature cumbersome. 



Several of the Greek terms are inserted in the table as conjectural ; but a suffi- 

 cient number are certain to show that consanguinei were arranged, by virtue of 

 them, in accordance with the natural order of descents; and that the collateral 

 lines were maintained distinct and divergent from the lineal line. This is a mate- 

 rial characteristic. 



The method for indicating the relationships in the first collateral line was 

 irregular, /last's, the ancient term for brother, gave place to adelphos ; in like 

 manner anepsios, which was originally the term for nephew, and probably like 

 nepos signified a grandson as well, was superseded by adelplddous. This gave for 

 the series adelplios, brother, adelpJiidous, nephew, and anepsiadoiis, nephew's son. 

 After the substitution of adelpliidous for anepsios the latter was restricted to cousin. 



Whether consanguinei in the second collateral line were described by the 

 Roman or the Celtic method, or were designated by special terms, does not clearly 

 appear. The form in the table must, therefore, be taken as in a great measure 

 conjectural. The tendency to specialize the principal relationships is shown by 

 the opulence of the nomenclature ; thus, for paternal uncle there are patros, patra- 

 delphos, and patrolcasignetos ; and for maternal uncle metro-s, metr adelphos, and 

 metrokasignetos ; and also common terms, theios tJieia and nannos nanne, for uncle 

 and aunt, which were used promiscuously. Patrolcasignetos and nannos appear to 

 have fallen out of use after the time of Thucydides, but theios and theia remained 

 in constant use among the people, and probably to the exclusion of the other more 

 recent terms. This fact is noticed in the Institutes of Justinian as follows : 

 " Patruus est patris frater, qui Grsecis narpa<5e/l$o$ appellatur. Avunculus est 

 frater matris, qui Greece MrirpaSehtpos dicitur ; et uterqure promiscue Qetog appel- 

 latur. Amita est patris soror, qua? Greece TlaTpaoetyri appellatur. Matertera vero 

 matris soror, quas Greece M^rpa&X^ dicitur; et uterquae promiscue Qeia appel- 

 latur." 1 It is worthy of mention that all of these terms have disappeared from the 

 modern Greek language, 2 except theios tfieia, which reappear, as has elsewhere 

 been stated, in the Italian Tio Tia, and in the Spanish Tis Tia, uncle and aunt. 

 There was but a single term for cousin, which shows that the four classes of persons, 

 who stand in this relationship, were generalized into one. The same amount of 

 classification here indicated is found in the system of several of the branches of the 

 Aryan family. It is evident that the special terms were used as far as they were 

 applicable, and that the remaining kindred were described by a combination of the 

 primary terms. 



It is not necessary to trace further the details of the Grecian system, since it is 

 not exceptional to the plan of consanguinity of the Aryan family. The great ex- 

 pansion of the nomenclature in the classical period, to avoid the inconvenience of 



1 Lib. III. tit. vi. 1. 



a Glossary of Later and Byzantine Greek, by E. A. Sophocles. Memoirs of the American Aca- 

 demy of Arts and Sciences. New series, vol. vii. 



