gens

[ jenz ]

noun,plural gen·tes

[jen-teez]. /ˈdʒɛn tiz/.

a group of families in ancient Rome claiming descent from a common ancestor and united by a common name and common ancestral religious rites.
Anthropology. a group tracing common descent in the male line; clan.

Origin of gens

First recorded in 1840–50, gens is from the Latin word gēns race, people. See genus, gender¹, gender²

Other words from gens

subgens, noun, plural sub·gen·tes.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gens in a sentence

Gallos quid atq omnes gentes cm semel saturi sunt, long despiciunt, irridntq clanculum omnia; etiam religion, quam susceperint.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614 | Various
Unus illis deus est; hunc Christiani, hunc Judæi, hunc homnes venerantur et gentes.
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 1 (of 10) | Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)
Philosophy is developed scientifically in his "Contra Gentes" and theology, scientifically in his great "Summa."
Education: How Old The New | James J. Walsh
The king, elected generally by the assembly of the gentes, commanded the army.
History of Julius Caesar Vol. 1 of 2 | Napoleon III, Emperor of the French, 1808-1873.
Seven, as well as four, is a sacred number with the tribe, being also the number of their gentes.
The Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees | James Mooney

British Dictionary definitions for gens

gens

/ (dʒɛnz) /

nounplural gentes (ˈdʒɛntiːz)

(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
anthropol a group based on descent in the male line

Origin of gens

C19: from Latin: race; compare genus, gender

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Browse