gens

American  

[jenz] / dʒɛnz /

noun

plural

gentes

1. a group of families in ancient Rome claiming descent from a common ancestor and united by a common name and common ancestral religious rites.

2. Anthropology. a group tracing common descent in the male line; clan.

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gens British  

/ dʒɛnz /

noun

1. (in ancient Rome) any of a group of aristocratic families, having a common name and claiming descent from a common ancestor in the male line

2. anthropol a group based on descent in the male line

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Other Word Forms

• subgens noun

Etymology

Origin of gens

First recorded in 1840–50, gens is from the Latin word gēns race, people. See genus, gender ¹, gender ²

Example Sentences

The conflict between Whites and gens de couleur libres exploded in 1791, after Haiti’s White population refused to acknowledge the citizenship rights that France had extended to wealthy people of color.

From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022

Within a few days of the Bois Caïman meeting, some gens de couleur libres joined forces with rebelling enslaved people in an uprising against White colonists.

From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022

Project Starscape has launched two batches - popularly called "gens" - of VTubers so far.

From BBC • Oct. 19, 2022

The difference between people like Mr. Baldino and locksmiths sent by lead gens is not just a physical storefront; excellent locksmiths work out of cars and vans, too.

From New York Times • Jan. 30, 2016

“You’re a traitor to your gens, girl,” Grandfather says, the only man in the Empire brave enough to refer to my mother as a girl.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir