Can a kissing cousin be removed? The answer is yes. But what is a kissing cousin? And how long has it been that they could be removed? kissing cousin: noun: a person and especially a relative whom one knows well enough to kiss more or less formally upon meeting (Webster's Collegiate Dictionary) kissing cousin, a cousin or other relative close enough to kiss in greeting or leave-taking. (The World Book Dictionary) [I have been wrong all these years. I thought a kissing cousin was one that was distantly related or one that I wanted to kiss, for the sake of kissing.] How about cousins being removed, as in first cousin once removed? removed: adjective: of a younger or older generation [a second cousin's child is a second cousin once removed] (Webster's Collegiate Dictionary) removed: adjective: separated by one or more steps or degrees of relationship: a cousin once removed. (The World Book Dictionary) When did removed become a word having to do with cousins? Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt were fifth cousins once removed. So, was Eleanor the first to use the word? No, according to Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, the word has been used with cousins since 1548. [I thought it was something new and I thought Eleanor was ahead of her time.] Clyde