What does it mean if a relative is "once removed"?

Question:

What does it mean if a relative is "once removed"?

and is it only cousins that can be this?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Yes, it is only cousins that be "once removed" (or twice, or three times, etc., etc.).

Basically, it means that the generations between you and the cousin are uneven. Example: your mom's mom (grandma) has a sister, who also has a child. If we count grandma and her sister as generation one, then your mom and grandma's sister's child would be generation two, and be considered "first" cousins. You would be generation three. Because there is one generation's difference between you and your mom's cousin (yours, gen. 3, minus hers, gen. 2 = 1), mom's first cousin is your first cousin, once removed. If your mom's first cousin has a child, that child would also be generation three, and that child would be your second cousin. If you have a child (generation four), your second cousin is your child's second cousin, once removed. Your second cousin's mother is your child's cousin, twice removed.

Hope this all makes sense - sometimes it's easier to draw it out like a chart. Good luck!

Hope this helps!