tribe

tribe

noun \ˈtrīb\

Definition of TRIBE

1

a : a social group comprising numerous families, clans, or generations together with slaves, dependents, or adopted strangers b : a political division of the Roman people originally representing one of the three original tribes of ancient Rome c : phyle

2

: a group of persons having a common character, occupation, or interest

3

: a category of taxonomic classification ranking below a subfamily; also : a natural group irrespective of taxonomic rank <the cat tribe> <the rose tribe>

Examples of TRIBE

1. a tribe of artists with wild hair and casual manners
2. <the wedding joined the two tribes together>

Origin of TRIBE

Middle English, from Latin tribus, a division of the Roman people, tribe

First Known Use: 13th century

Related to TRIBE

Synonyms: blood, clan, folks, house, kin, kindred, kinfolk (or kinfolks), kinsfolk, line, lineage, people, race, stock, family

Related Words: blended family, nuclear family; extended family, household, kith; brood; descendant (also descendent), issue, offspring, progeny, scion, seed; clansman, kinsman, kinswoman, relative; dynasty

Near Antonyms: ancestry, birth, descent, extraction, origin, pedigree

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Other Anthropology Terms

ectomorph, ethnography, prehistory, yurt

Rhymes with TRIBE

bribe, gibe, jibe, kibe, scribe, vibe