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next-of-kin The nearest blood relatives. Strictly those who are next in degree of kindred to a deceased person. The degrees of kindred are reckoned according to the Roman law, both upwards to the ancestor and downwards to the issue, each generation counting for a degree. Thus, from father to son, is one degree, and from brother to brother is two degrees, namely, one upwards to the father and one downwards to the other son. |
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See Also: Statutory Definition |