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

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

Principles of social equality, moreover, remained incomplete when former gens de couleur libres adopted the roles of the former plantation owners at the top of the social hierarchy.

From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022

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

From BBC • Oct. 19, 2022

These operations, known as lead generators, or lead gens for short, keep a group of poorly trained subcontractors on call.

From New York Times • Jan. 30, 2016

Grandfather stands in his box, backed by the rest of the family, reminding everyone here that one of the Empire's most powerful gens has seen a son graduate today.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir