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

Other Anthropology Terms

ectomorph, ethnography, prehistory, yurt

Rhymes with TRIBE

bribe, gibe, jibe, kibe, scribe, vibe

tribe

noun \ˈtrīb\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of TRIBE

: a category of taxonomic classification sometimes equivalent to or ranking just below a suborder but more commonly ranking below a subfamily