Finnish

Noun

lankous

1. family relationship between a person and his/her spouse's brother
2. (law) affinity (family relationship through marriage, especially that above)
   • 1734, Oikeudenkäymiskaari (Code of Judicial Procedure of 1734) (in Finnish), Ministry of Justice of Finland, retrieved 2013-10-07:

     Isä ja poika, appi ja vävy, kaksi veljestä tahi langosta älkööt istuko samassa Oikeudessa, jos siinä ei ole useampaa kuin seitsemän. Älköönkä niitä, jotka keskenänsä ovat nyt sanotussa sukulaisuudessa tai lankoudessa, koskaan istuko useampaa kuin kaksi samassa Oikeudessa.

     If there are no more than seven members in a court of law, a father and son, a father-in-law and son-in-law, two brothers, or two brothers-in-law shall not both be members of that court. In any event, a court of law shall not have more than two members related to one another in a manner mentioned above.

Declension

Usage notes

The legal wording cited above is still valid legislation. Newer legislation stipulates that the paragraph is also applied to corresponding male-female and female-female relationships and between spouses.