Definition of "cognation"

... these stones, I say, gratifie our sight, as having a nearer cognation with the Soul of Man, that is Rational and Intellectual, and therefore is well pleased when it meets with any outward Object that fits and agrees with those congenite Ideas her own nature is furnished with.

1662, Henry More, An Antidote Against Atheism, Book II, A Collection of Several Philosophical Writings of Dr. Henry More, p. 54

Cowan (1957a, 1957b) has established the following CVC cognation percentages using for his 'Tami Group' only the languages classed by the present writer as constituting the Upper Tami Families.

1971, Stephen A. Wurm, “The Papuan Linguistic Situation”, in J. D. Bowen, editor, Linguistics in Oceania (Current Trends In Linguistics; 5)‎, Mouton, page 603

This being the case, proof of cognation remains elusive even in the case of conspicuous lexical lookalikes.

2014 October 18, Ante Aikio, “The Uralic-Yukaghir lexical correspondences: genetic inheritance, language contact or chance resemblance?”, in Finnisch-Ugrische Forschungen‎, volume 14, page 41