agnate

/ˈæɡneɪt/

//ˈæɡneɪt// noun

"agnate" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“agnate” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A relative whose relation is traced only through male members of the family.

Corpus desk

Index EN-agnate · agnate · English

agnate · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "A" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for agnate
PropertyValue
Headwordagnate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæɡneɪt/
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “agnate” in English

agnatefalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

agnate is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈæɡneɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for agnate in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin agnātus (“paternal kinsman”). The correct English form is agnate, spelled A-G-N-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A relative whose relation is traced only through male members of the family.
  2. 2
    Any paternal male relative.
  3. 3
    A statement having a similar meaning to another, but a different structure.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how agnate appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. A great-grandfather is an agnate if he is your father’s father’s father.
  2. Men accuse agnates of their own generation of bewitching them.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin agnātus (“paternal kinsman”).

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "agnate"?
"agnate" is spelled A-G-N-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæɡneɪt/.
What does "agnate" mean?
As a noun, "agnate" means: A relative whose relation is traced only through male members of the family.
How do you pronounce "agnate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "agnate" is /ˈæɡneɪt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "agnate"?
Learned borrowing from Latin agnātus (“paternal kinsman”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list