Question: When describing family relationships, what does it mean when the relationship is "removed?" Example: First cousins twice removed
Answer:
Removed refers to generational gaps. When the relationship is described as "removed" it means the relatives are from different generations. Start by describing the relationship that connects the relatives followed by the number of generations that divide them. So your grandmother's first cousin is your first cousin twice removed because the first cousin relationship is separated by two generations. The generation gap can be either higher up or lower down the tree. Removed simply (or not so simply) describes a generation gap in the relationship.