clan
Americannoun
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a group of families or households, as among the Scottish Highlanders, the heads of which claim descent from a common ancestor.
the Mackenzie clan.
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a group of people of common descent; family.
Our whole clan got together for Thanksgiving.
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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.
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Anthropology.
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the principal social unit of tribal organization, in which descent is reckoned exclusively in either the paternal or the maternal line.
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a group of people regarded as being descended from a common ancestor.
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noun
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a group of people interrelated by ancestry or marriage
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a group of families with a common surname and a common ancestor, acknowledging the same leader, esp among the Scots and the Irish
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a group of people united by common characteristics, aims, or interests
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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."
Vocabulary lists containing clan
St. Patrick's Day Vocabulary: Words With Irish and Gaelic Roots
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English Words Derived from Gaelic
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Code Talker
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Who are any of us to argue with the supernatural power of the 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
The temple is referenced in songs by American hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan and inspired a spin-off of the video game Mortal Kombat.
From BBC • May 29, 2026
Whether guiding the sound and aesthetic of the Wu-Tang Clan or scoring films for Jim Jarmusch and Quentin Tarantino, RZA has concocted an aural blueprint all his own.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
There was this amazing collection by Bead Clan Kitchen that showed how to make many traditional Diné meals.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
