tribe

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tribe

(trīb)

1. A unit of sociopolitical organization consisting of a number of families, clans, or other groups who share a common ancestry and culture and among whom leadership is typically neither formalized nor permanent.

2. A political, ethnic, or ancestral division of ancient states and cultures, especially:

a. Any of the three divisions of the ancient Romans, namely, the Latin, Sabine, and Etruscan.

b. Any of the 12 divisions of ancient Israel.

c. A phyle of ancient Greece.

3. A group of people sharing an occupation, interest, or habit: a tribe of graduate students.

4. Informal A large family.

5. Biology A taxonomic category ranking below a family or subfamily and above a genus and usually containing several genera.

[Middle English, from Old French tribu, from Latin tribus, division of the Roman people, perhaps of Etruscan origin or possibly from tri-, three; see trei- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

tribe

(traɪb)

1. (Anthropology & Ethnology) a social division of a people, esp of a preliterate people, defined in terms of common descent, territory, culture, etc

2. (Historical Terms) (an ethnic or ancestral division of ancient cultures, esp of one of the following)

a. any of the three divisions of the ancient Romans, the Latins, Sabines, and Etruscans

b. one of the later political divisions of the Roman people

c. any of the 12 divisions of ancient Israel, each of which was named after and believed to be descended from one of the 12 patriarchs

d. a phyle of ancient Greece

3. informal often jocular

a. a large number of persons, animals, etc

b. a specific class or group of persons

c. a family, esp a large one

4. (Biology) biology a taxonomic group that is a subdivision of a subfamily

5. (Agriculture) stockbreeding a strain of animals descended from a common female ancestor through the female line

[C13: from Latin tribus; probably related to Latin trēs three]

ˈtribeless adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

tribe

(traɪb)

n.

1. any aggregate of people united by ties of descent from a common ancestor, community of customs and traditions, adherence to the same leaders, etc.

2. a local division of an aboriginal people.

a. a category in the classification of organisms usu. between a subfamily and a genus.

b. any group of plants or animals.

c. a group of animals, esp. cattle, descended through the female line from a common female ancestor.

4. a company, group, or set of persons, esp. one with strong common traits or interests.

5. a large family.

6. (in ancient Rome)

a. any one of three divisions of the people representing the Latin, Sabine, and Etruscan settlements.

b. one of the later political divisions of the people, reaching a total of 35 in number.

7. a phyle of ancient Greece.

[1200–50; Middle English < Latin tribus tribe, orig., each of the three divisions of the Roman people]

tribe

low man - On an actual totem pole, it is really the most important man in the tribe.
tribe - From Latin tribus, it may refer to the three divisions of early Romans, the Latins, Sabines, and Etruscans.
tribunal - Originally referred to a seat or raised platform for judges, from Latin tribunus, "head of a tribe."
cannibal - When Columbus was trying to find the Spice Islands, he was told of a tribe of man-eating natives in Cuba and Haiti called Caribs (from which we get Caribbean) or Caniba (Columbus' rendition of the name); the word canib, meaning "brave and fierce," became cannibal, meaning "anthropophagite," a person who eats human flesh.

Tribe

a number or company of persons or animals; a social group containing a number of families.

Examples: tribe of children, 1835; of critics, 1843; of chronical diseases, 1744; of goats—Brewer; of medicines, 1822; of nieces, 1909; of vulgar politicians, 1796; of savages; of snails and worms, 1731; of sparrows; of whales, 1820.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	tribe - a social division of (usually preliterate) people folk social group - people sharing some social relation moiety - one of two basic subdivisions of a tribe phyle - a tribe of ancient Athenians
	2.	tribe - a federation (as of American Indians) federation of tribes nation - a federation of tribes (especially Native American tribes); "the Shawnee nation" U.S.A., United States, United States of America, US, USA, America, the States, U.S. - North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776 Maya, Mayan - a member of an American Indian people of Yucatan and Belize and Guatemala who had a culture (which reached its peak between AD 300 and 900) characterized by outstanding architecture and pottery and astronomy; "Mayans had a system of writing and an accurate calendar" Nahuatl - a member of any of various Indian peoples of central Mexico Olmec - a member of an early Mesoamerican civilization centered around Veracruz that flourished between 1300 and 400 BC
	3.	tribe - (biology) a taxonomic category between a genus and a subfamily Bovini, tribe Bovini - term not used technically; essentially coextensive with genus Bos biological science, biology - the science that studies living organisms taxon, taxonomic category, taxonomic group - animal or plant group having natural relations family - (biology) a taxonomic group containing one or more genera; "sharks belong to the fish family" Bambuseae, tribe Bambuseae - bamboos
	4.	tribe - group of people related by blood or marriage clan, kin group, kindred, kinship group, kin social group - people sharing some social relation mishpachah, mishpocha - (Yiddish) the entire family network of relatives by blood or marriage (and sometimes close friends); "she invited the whole mishpocha" family unit, family - primary social group; parents and children; "he wanted to have a good job before starting a family" folks - your parents; "he wrote to his folks every day" family tree, genealogy - successive generations of kin totem - a clan or tribe identified by their kinship to a common totemic object Tribes of Israel, Twelve Tribes of Israel - twelve kin groups of ancient Israel each traditionally descended from one of the twelve sons of Jacob relative, relation - a person related by blood or marriage; "police are searching for relatives of the deceased"; "he has distant relations back in New Jersey" clan member, clansman, clanswoman - a member of a clan tribesman - someone who lives in a tribe

tribe

noun

1. race, ethnic group, people, family, class, stock, house, division, blood, seed (chiefly biblical), sept, gens, clan, caste, dynasty three hundred members of the Xhosa tribe

2. crowd, company, group, party, bunch (informal), body, army, host, band, pack, crew (informal), load (informal), drove, gang, mob, flock, herd, horde, posse (informal), bevy a tribe of cyclists

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

tribe

noun

A group of people sharing common ancestry:

clan, family, house, kindred, lineage, stock.

Idioms: flesh and blood, kith and kin.

Translations

عِرْق ، قَبيلَهقبيلةقَبِيلَةمَجْموعَة عائِلات، قَبيلَه

kmen

stamme

StammTribusVolksstamm Sippe

φυλή φύλο

tribu

heimo

tribu

pleme

törzsnéptörzs

ættflokkur

tribù tribale

部族

부족

tribus

gentisgentainisgentiesgentinis

cilts

pleme

stam

เผ่า

kabile soy aşiret boy

bộ tộc

部落宗族种族

tribe

[traɪb] N (Anthropology, Zool) → tribu f (fig) (= family) → familia f (pej) (= group) → tribu f, pandilla f, horda f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

tribe

[ˈtraɪb] n → tribu f

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

tribe

→ Stamm m; (Bot, Zool) → Gattung f

(fig inf) → Korona f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

tribe

[traɪb] n → tribù f inv

tribe

(traib) noun

1. a race of people, or a family, who are all descended from the same ancestor. the tribes of Israel.

2. a group of families, especially of a primitive or wandering people, ruled by a chief. the desert tribes of Africa.

ˈtribal adjective

of a tribe or tribes. tribal lands/customs; the tribal system.

ˈtribesman (ˈtraibz-) noun

a man who belongs to a tribe. an African tribesman.

tribe

→ قَبِيلَة kmen stamme Volksstamm φυλή tribu heimo tribu pleme tribù 部族 부족 stam stamme plemię tribo племя stam เผ่า kabile bộ tộc 部落

tribe

n. tribu, categoría biológica en taxonomía.

References in classic literature ?

After a day thus profitably spent, they recrossed the river, but landed on the northern shore several miles above the anchoring ground of the Tonquin, in the neighborhood of Chinooks, and visited the village of that tribe. Here they were received with great hospitality by the chief, who was named Comcomly, a shrewd old savage, with but one eye, who will occasionally figure in this narrative.

With this worthy tribe of Chinooks the two partners passed a part of the day very agreeably.

View in context

And in this temper it was that the lion came upon the tribe of Kerchak, the great ape.

Ordinarily he would have turned away in search of other game, for even Numa respected the mighty muscles and the sharp fangs of the great bulls of the tribe of Kerchak, but today he kept on steadily toward them, his bristled snout wrinkled into a savage snarl.

View in context

Like nations of higher pretensions, the American Indian gives a very different account of his own tribe or race from that which is given by other people.

Looking over an ancient map, it was ascertained that a tribe of Indians, called "Les Horicans" by the French, existed in the neighborhood of this beautiful sheet of water.

View in context

This was a Blackfoot renegado, named Kosato, a fiery hot-blooded youth who, with a beautiful girl of the same tribe, had taken refuge among the Nez Perces.

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And in that council we formed our first tribe. For we had learned the lesson.

View in context

So close was he that there was no chance for flight and little Tarzan knew that he must stand and fight for his life; for these great beasts were the deadly enemies of his tribe, and neither one nor the other ever asked or gave quarter.

View in context

He shall be no naked beast of the jungle, but shall wear a loincloth and copper anklets, and, perchance, a ring in his nose, for he is to be reared by men--a tribe of savage cannibals.

View in context

He demanded the appointment of another special commission to inquire into the question of the Native Tribes Organization Committee.

View in context

There are those intractable tribes, of whom Petherick, Arnaud, Miuni, and the young traveller Lejean, to whom we are indebted for the best work on the Upper Nile, have spoken."