tribe
[ trahyb ]
/ traɪb /
noun
Origin of tribe
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
OTHER WORDS FROM tribe
sub·tribe, noun un·der·tribe, nounWords nearby tribe
Example sentences from the Web for tribe
British Dictionary definitions for tribe
tribe
/ (traɪb) /
noun
a social division of a people, esp of a preliterate people, defined in terms of common descent, territory, culture, etc
(an ethnic or ancestral division of ancient cultures, esp of one of the following)
- any of the three divisions of the ancient Romans, the Latins, Sabines, and Etruscans
- one of the later political divisions of the Roman people
- 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
- a phyle of ancient Greece
informal, often jocular
- a large number of persons, animals, etc
- a specific class or group of persons
- a family, esp a large one
biology
a taxonomic group that is a subdivision of a subfamily
stockbreeding
a strain of animals descended from a common female ancestor through the female line
Derived forms of tribe
tribeless, adjectiveWord Origin for tribe
C13: from Latin
tribus; probably related to Latin
trēs three
Medical definitions for tribe
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.