gens
noun
a group of families in ancient Rome claiming descent from a common ancestor and united by a common name and common ancestral religious rites.
gentes
-
pluralof gens.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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.
At the time of the discovery the Indians of entire North America were organized in gentes by maternal law.
From The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State by Friedrich Engels
Such groups of related persons are called gentes; the singular of the word is gens.
From American Indians by Frederick Starr
And while thus the "gens" was strictly exogamous, the tribe comprising an aggregate of "gentes" was equally endogamous.
From The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State by Friedrich Engels
All quarrels and disputes are settled by the entire community involved in them, either the gens or the tribe or the various gentes among themselves.
From The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State by Friedrich Engels
The descendants of the sons are transferred to the gentes of the new mothers.
From The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State by Friedrich Engels
