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tribe

tribe

576 2.3
A group of people who share the same family background, language, and customs
  • noun
  • /traɪb/
translation icon : tribu
  • I feel like an anthropologist... finding some primitive tribe squatting around a fire in the forest... telling stories, sparks flying up in the air.
  • Indian tribe
  • native tribes
  • nomadic tribe

This is also in sapiens, like isolated tribes that are still around.

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Examples

  • In the heart of Sudan, there is a tribe of warriors known as the Ngbaka.

  • The researchers used this knowledge to include both tribes in the planning of the project.

    Academic text (2011)
  • And it used to be that each tribe elected its own general.

  • And I know that the right tribe will come to me for that.

  • I was raised by the local tribe.

  • Instead, they were hundreds of independent tribes who spoke the same language.

  • I am a member of the Cheyenne-Arapaho tribe and am very involved in Native American activities.

    Academic text (2008)
  • How do we bring all of these disparate warring tribes together in this country?

  • 'A long time ago, the Touganda tribe possessed the skulls.

  • The members of the tribe celebrated their cultural heritage during the annual festival.

Synonyms

clan
vstribe
594 2.9

A group of families who are related and share the same identity

often groups several such family units and may have a chief
ethnic group
vstribe
58 2.8

People who share the same culture, language, or family history

often have a chief or formal leader in their social structure
tribal society
vstribe
3 4.7

A society organized by groups of related families with traditional customs

is a single social group rather than a whole societal organization
ethnos
vstribe
1 9.9

A group of people who share the same culture and history

is organized as a social group often led by a chief
kin group
vstribe
4.5

A group of people who are related by blood or marriage

includes shared language and customs beyond mere family ties
kinship group
vstribe
3.5

A group of people related by blood or marriage like an extended family

extends to wider cultural bonds like common ancestry and customs

Idioms

7.3

To discover a group of people who share your interests and make you feel at home

Your attitude and energy bring similar people into your life

Compounds

A group of people who live by hunting, fishing, and gathering wild plants

A group from ancient Israel who descend from Levi and serve in the temple

tribe Bubalus
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of animals that includes water buffalo and their close relatives

How Big

nation
1.7
society
2.0
tribe
576 2.3
clan
594 2.9
family
1.0

Surface Forms

tribe singular
tribes plural

Etymology

Tribe comes from the old Latin word tribus, which meant 'division' and is linked to tres meaning 'three', a connection you can see in the English word trio. So a tribe became a group of people who share ancestry, language, and customs.