clan

[klan]

noun

1. a group of families or households, as among the Scottish Highlanders, the heads of which claim descent from a common ancestor.

   the Mackenzie clan.

2. a group of people of common descent; family.

   Our whole clan got together for Thanksgiving.

3. 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.

4. Anthropology.

   1. the principal social unit of tribal organization, in which descent is reckoned exclusively in either the paternal or the maternal line.

   2. a group of people regarded as being descended from a common ancestor.

clan

/ klæn /

noun

1. a group of people interrelated by ancestry or marriage

2. a group of families with a common surname and a common ancestor, acknowledging the same leader, esp among the Scots and the Irish

3. a group of people united by common characteristics, aims, or interests

Other Word Forms

• clanless adjective
• interclan adjective
• subclan noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of clan¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of clan¹

C14: from Scottish Gaelic clann family, descendants, from Latin planta sprout, _plant ¹

Example Sentences

Tensions rose sharply and quickly after two members of Hamas's elite forces were shot dead by gunmen from the powerful Dughmush clan in Gaza City's Sabra neighbourhood.

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Techniques are passed down through generations, with geometric patterns on many mochilas reflecting clan identity, spirituality, and the natural world.

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A month later, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged his government, following the advice of security officials, had “activated” clans in Gaza to work against Hamas.

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They'll have plenty of time to perfect it next year, though, when the whole clan set off on tour together, apparently oblivious to the fact that most family road trips end in disaster.

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Jamie Daniel - who became a millionaire after starting out as a scrap metal dealer in Glasgow's Possil - founded and led the crime clan bearing his name.

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Related Words

• band 
• faction 
• gang 
• mob 
• sect 
• society 
• tribe