clan

American  

[klan] / klæn /

noun

clans plural

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.

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clan British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subclan
  noun
• clanless
  adjective
• interclan
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• clans
  plural

Etymology

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

Explanation

A clan is an extended family. Your clan might include your parents and siblings, but also your cousins and second cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents. Families that are related to each other, whether through marriage or as distant cousins, are members of the same clan. If you get together with a big family group every summer, you can say you vacation with your clan. In Scotland, a person's clan has a specific name, like "clan MacLachlan." The word comes from the Gaelic clann, "family" or "offspring," with the Latin root planta, "offshoot."

Example Sentences

I’ll even accept the suggestion that this victory was the result of magic released during a halftime performance from Staten Island’s aging and beloved Wu-Tang Clan.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026

As often as critics hail Quentin Tarantino for making movies about movies, the Wu-Tang Clan deserves credit for mainstreaming Asian action cinema.

From Salon • May 31, 2026

Billy Idol, chanteuse Sade, metal legends Iron Maiden and Manchester outfits Joy Division and New Order were also honored, along with hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan and velvet-voiced crooner Luther Vandross.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

The two non-Brits acts who will be inducted this year are the late soul singer Luther Vandross, who died in 2005, and the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

I’d also received invitations to join four of the biggest gunter clans: the Oviraptors, Clan Destiny, the Key Masters, and Team Banzai.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Related Words

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