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sept

sept

1 9.9
A group of families who come from the same ancestor in Ireland or Scotland
  • noun
  • /sɛpt/
  • UK
translation icon : sept
  • The clan's sept celebrated their common heritage at the annual family reunion.

Examples

  • She remembered how the breeze sent the fistfuls of dirty brown hair skittering across the paving stones, toward the sept where her father had died.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Project Dance has provided the most accurate assessments so far of the behaviors of major Familias septs.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • The clan or sept recognized it and had the ultimate responsibility.

    Blog text (21)
  • Le sept.

  • I am Amys, of the Nine Valleys sept of the Taardad Aiel.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The Barraclough Sept, which included the lesser Aranlake and Padualenare septs, had not rallied to Bunny's side when Brun returned.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Neilson is a sept of Clan Gunn, which is one of several Scottish clans of Norse origin.

  • Each sept carries a unique banner that represents their ancestry and family achievements.

Synonyms

kinfolk
vssept
7 6.7

Relatives who come from the same family, often including aunts and cousins

is a specific family division rather than the general group of relatives
subclan
vssept
1 7.1

A small group inside a larger clan that shares an ancestor and customs

is the regional term used mainly in Ireland and Scotland for that subgroup
kinsfolk
vssept
  • Archaic
8.1

People who are related to you by blood, like aunts and cousins

is a named subdivision of that family rather than the whole set of relations

How Big

tribe
576 2.3
clan
594 2.9
sept
  • UK
1 9.9

Surface Forms

sept singular
septs plural

Etymology

The word sept came into English to name a group inside Irish and Scottish clans. A helpful way to remember it is to think of a sept as a 'branch' of the family tree whose members all come from the same 'ancestor'.