clan
[ klan ]
/ klæn /
noun
a group of families or households, as among the Scottish Highlanders, the heads of which claim descent from a common ancestor: the Mackenzie clan.
a group of people of common descent; family: Our whole clan got together for Thanksgiving.
a group of people, as a clique, set, society, or party, especially as united by some common trait, characteristic, or interest: a clan of actors and directors.
Anthropology.
- the principal social unit of tribal organization, in which descent is reckoned exclusively in either the paternal or the maternal line.
- a group of people regarded as being descended from a common ancestor.
Origin of clan
1375–1425; late Middle English (Scots) < Scots Gaelic
clann < Old Irish
cland offspring < Latin
planta scion,
plant, perhaps directly < British Celtic; compare Welsh
plant children
OTHER WORDS FROM clan
clan·less, adjective in·ter·clan, adjective sub·clan, nounWords nearby clan
clampdown,
clamper,
clamshell,
clamshell door,
clamworm,
clan,
clancy,
clandestine,
clang,
clang association,
clanger
Example sentences from the Web for clan
British Dictionary definitions for clan
clan
/ (klæn) /
noun
a group of people interrelated by ancestry or marriage
a group of families with a common surname and a common ancestor, acknowledging the same leader, esp among the Scots and the Irish
a group of people united by common characteristics, aims, or interests
Word Origin for clan
C14: from Scottish Gaelic
clann family, descendants, from Latin
planta sprout,
plant
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