tribe

[trahyb] /traɪb/
noun
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.
3.
a division of some other people.
4.
a class or type of animals, plants, articles, or the like.
5.
Animal Husbandry. a group of animals, especially cattle, descended through the female line from a common female ancestor.
6.
Biology.
  1. a category in the classification of organisms usually between a subfamily and a genus or sometimes between a suborder and a family.
  2. any group of plants or animals.
7.
a company, group, or number of persons.
8.
a class or set of persons, especially one with strong common traits or interests.
9.
a large family.
10.
Roman History.
  1. any one of three divisions of the people representing the Latin, Sabine, and Etruscan settlements.
  2. any of the later political divisions of the people.
11.
Greek History. a phyle.
Origin
1200-50; Middle English < Latin tribus tribe, orig., each of the three divisions of the Roman people; often taken as derivative of trēs three, though formation unclear
Related forms
subtribe, noun
undertribe, noun
Examples from the web for tribe
  • She said that she felt her tribe and family were what made her who she was.
  • Obviously this author has no concept of the males role in the family group and the tribe.
  • There morality is created when the father of the tribe is killed.
  • Everything consumed by the tribe comes in that way, and every piece of refuse must be flown out.
  • The potential tribe finds itself in jeopardy as investors drop out and new staff drops in.
  • Take it to a college history professor near you and maybe they can give you more information about a specific tribe and time.
  • Every piece of terrain is considered owned or controlled by some tribe or clan.
  • Understand that you are a participant observer in the tribe.
  • Most of the money coming into the tribe is from federal grants of one sort or another.
  • tribe members appeared from the forest one day at an oil exploration camp.
British Dictionary definitions for tribe

tribe

/traɪb/
noun
1.
a social division of a people, esp of a preliterate people, defined in terms of common descent, territory, culture, etc
2.
(an ethnic or ancestral division of ancient cultures, esp of one of the following)
  1. any of the three divisions of the ancient Romans, the Latins, Sabines, and Etruscans
  2. one of the later political divisions of the Roman people
  3. 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
  4. a phyle of ancient Greece
3.
(informal, often jocular)
  1. a large number of persons, animals, etc
  2. a specific class or group of persons
  3. a family, esp a large one
4.
(biology) a taxonomic group that is a subdivision of a subfamily
5.
(stockbreeding) a strain of animals descended from a common female ancestor through the female line
Derived Forms
tribeless, adjective
Word Origin
C13: from Latin tribus; probably related to Latin trēs three
Word Origin and History for tribe
n.

mid-13c., "one of the twelve divisions of the ancient Hebrews," from Old French tribu, from Latin tribus "one of the three political/ethnic divisions of the original Roman state" (Tites, Ramnes, and Luceres, corresponding, perhaps, to the Latins, Sabines, and Etruscans), later, one of the 30 political divisions instituted by Servius Tullius (increased to 35 in 241 B.C.E.), perhaps from tri- "three" + *bhu-, root of the verb be. Others connect the word with the root of Welsh tref "town, inhabited place."

In the Biblical sense, which was the original one in English, the Latin word translates Greek phyle "race or tribe of men, body of men united by ties of blood and descent, a clan" (see physic). Extension to any ethnic group or race of people is first recorded 1590s.

tribe in Medicine

tribe (trīb)
n.
An occasional taxonomic category placed between a subfamily and a genus or between a suborder and a family and usually containing several genera.

Slang definitions & phrases for tribe

tribe

noun

One's group of friends or relatives: dreading the tribe coming for New Year's


tribe in the Bible

a collection of families descending from one ancestor. The "twelve tribes" of the Hebrews were the twelve collections of families which sprang from the sons of Jacob. In Matt. 24:30 the word has a wider significance. The tribes of Israel are referred to as types of the spiritual family of God (Rev. 7). (See ISRAEL, KINGDOM OF ØT0001909; JUDAH, KINGDOM OF.)