phratry
noun
a grouping of clans or other social units within a tribe.
phratric
-
a word derived from
phratry.
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.
The phratric organization has existed among the Iroquois from time immemorial.
From Houses and House-Life of the American Aborigines by Lewis H. Morgan
It proves conclusively the natural process by which in course of time a gens breaks up into several, and these remain united in a phratric organization, which is expressed by assuming a phratric name.
From Houses and House-Life of the American Aborigines by Lewis H. Morgan
They were sufficiently numerous for four tribes, but as they occupied the same pueblo and spoke the same dialect the phratric organization was apparently a necessity.
From Houses and House-Life of the American Aborigines by Lewis H. Morgan
