what is a removed cousin?

xx removed means that the relationship is xx generations away from you.

A first cousin once removed is simply a first cousin of your father or mother, but it can also be a child of a first cousin.

You could ask why Geni does not tell you that (like: xx is your mothers first cousin), and there will be an option for that when and if Geni release their translation tools for relationships.

I do however doubt that you will get that option for English since it has been some hard recistance on changing a description only hardcore genealogists understands. Anyhow, let us take that discussion when we get the tools to change it.

Does anyone know who came up with the term "removed"? It is a term that English speakers are resistant to, if they are not genealogists, as it sets up the idea that the person is removed from being a relative. I am sure it is too late now, but could the genealogists of the past, or those who have made up words for the English language, have come up with a term that would have better suited common folk? The term "first cousin" throws people off to the point where they (non-genealogists) count cousins by adding the generations and mistake a "first cousin once removed" as being ones "second cousin." I know people who claim to have "nineteenth" cousins among distant relatives of their peers within the same community, which is a disservice to them when "fourth cousin once removed" would be more accurate and would indicate a much closer (and more accurate) relationship.
Do other languages (besides English) have similar terms to "removed", and are there words in other languages for the same relationship that sound more appropriate to their native speakers?

I wonder if using a more anthropological / kinship terminology would help. Take a look here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinship_terminology

In Norwegian genealogy we have a translation for "removed", - but it is just a translation, not something that is used in the spoken language except between genealogists.

When we had access to beta-test Geni's upcoming relationship code I successfully made rules that showed that it was possible to replace both the "removed" and "grand uncle/aunt" expressions with more understandable expressions like "your mothers first cousin" instead of "your first cousin once removed" and "your fourth great grandfather's brother" instead of "your great uncle twice removed", - giving both the direction the generation-shift goes and as an extra bonus the gender on both the common ancestor and the endpoint.

Using the terms such as one's "mother's first cousin" does help to clarify a relation, however, that presents the problem idea that the parent's cousin is not necessarily a relative (or cousin) of the person stating the relationship. For example, as a child, when visiting my dad's first cousin, I thought it meant we were visiting his cousin, but this cousin was not also my cousin. I feel like we need to state both "first cousin once removed" as well as "father's first cousin".
I have also heard of societies where one's parents' first cousins are called aunts and uncles.

Cousin (a.k.a "first cousin")
Your first cousins are the people in your family who have two of the same grandparents as you. In other words, they are the children of your aunts and uncles.

Second Cousin
Your second cousins are the people in your family who have the same great-grandparents as you., but not the same grandparents.

Third, Fourth, and Fifth Cousins
Your third cousins have the same great-great-grandparents, fourth cousins have the same great-great-great-grandparents, and so on.

Removed
When the word "removed" is used to describe a relationship, it indicates that the two people are from different generations. You and your first cousins are in the same generation (two generations younger than your grandparents), so the word "removed" is not used to describe your relationship.

The words "once removed" mean that there is a difference of one generation. For example, your mother's first cousin is your first cousin, once removed. This is because your mother's first cousin is one generation younger than your grandparents and you are two generations younger than your grandparents. This one-generation difference equals "once removed."

Twice removed means that there is a two-generation difference. You are two generations younger than a first cousin of your grandmother, so you and your grandmother's first cousin are first cousins, twice removed.
Source: http://www.genealogy.com/16_cousn.html
Here is a great cousin chart. Enjoy!
http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch...

What would my first cousing once removed call me? Would i also be first cousin once removed for that person or would i be something different?

What you call each other is up to you. I usually just address my cousins by their first names.

As to second question -- yes, first cousin once removed is used both directions - you are his first cousin once removed, he is your first cousin once removed.

We like to practice at family reunions.

Once I was sitting with my brother at a reunion and he said to the little girl next to him, "I will give you this cookie if you can tell me how we are related."

She said, "You are my double second cousin once removed," and got the cookie.

(We have double second cousins because our mother had double first cousins, since her mother and father each had a sibling who had also married each other.)

Another reference:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cousin