Legal Definitions - relative

A relative is a person who is connected to another person by blood or marriage. This means they are family members. There are different types of relatives:

• Blood relative: A person who shares an ancestor with another person. For example, a brother or a cousin.
• Collateral relative: A relative who is not in the direct line of descent. For example, a cousin.
• Relative by affinity: A person who is related by marriage. For example, the spouse of your cousin.
• Relative of the half blood: A collateral relative who shares one common ancestor. For example, a half-brother.

These different types of relatives help us understand how people are related to each other. For example, if someone says "my cousin," we know that person is a collateral relative. If someone says "my half-brother," we know that person is a relative of the half blood.

Understanding who our relatives are is important for many reasons. We may want to stay in touch with family members, learn about our family history, or make important decisions about inheritance or medical care.

Examples:

• My aunt is my blood relative because we share a common ancestor.
• My cousin is my collateral relative because we are not in the direct line of descent.
• My sister-in-law is my relative by affinity because we are related through marriage.
• My half-sister is my relative of the half blood because we share one common parent.

These examples illustrate how different types of relatives are related to each other. For example, a cousin is a collateral relative because they are not in the direct line of descent. A sister-in-law is a relative by affinity because they are related through marriage.