tribe

[ trahyb ]

/ traɪb /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tribe ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any aggregate of people united by ties of descent from a common ancestor, community of customs and traditions, adherence to the same leaders, etc.

a local division of an aboriginal people.

a division of some other people.

a class or type of animals, plants, articles, or the like.

Animal Husbandry. a group of animals, especially cattle, descended through the female line from a common female ancestor.

Biology.

a category in the classification of organisms usually between a subfamily and a genus or sometimes between a suborder and a family.
any group of plants or animals.

a company, group, or number of persons.

a class or set of persons, especially one with strong common traits or interests.

a large family.

Roman History.

any one of three divisions of the people representing the Latin, Sabine, and Etruscan settlements.
any of the later political divisions of the people.

Greek History. a phyle.

Nearby words

tribadism, tribal, tribalism, tribasic, tribasic sodium phosphate, tribe, tribelet, tribesman, tribespeople, tribeswoman, triblet

Origin of tribe

1200–50; Middle English < Latin tribus tribe, orig., each of the three divisions of the Roman people; often taken as derivative of trēs three, though formation unclear

Related forms

sub·tribe, nounun·der·tribe, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tribe

“The tribe is really made of people who put travel as a priority in their entire lifestyle,” says Evita.
‘We Out Here’: Inside the New Black Travel Movement|Charlise Ferguson|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A running joke inside the tribe is that the group is like that club with a hundred people waiting outside to get in.
‘We Out Here’: Inside the New Black Travel Movement|Charlise Ferguson|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Tiger Lily and her tribe, however, were outfitted in semi-realistic outfits (read: nearly naked).
‘Peter Pan Live!’ Review: No Amount of Clapping Brings It to Life|Kevin Fallon|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As the bill failed in the Senate, a pigtailed member of the Lakota Sioux tribe stood up in the gallery and began chanting.
Keystone Senate Failure Is Environmental Kabuki Theater|Ben Jacobs|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

They agreed to let McKell and Moss join their tribe for a few days.
London’s Pagan Counterculture Kings|Justin Jones|October 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The shields varied in form and material from tribe to tribe.
Homer and His Age|Andrew Lang
While it was for this tribe that the agency at Fort Snelling was established, yet the Chippewas often frequented its headquarters.
Old Fort Snelling|Marcus L. Hansen
Had she desired she might have remained and resumed an easy life with her tribe.
Whitman's Ride Through Savage Lands|Oliver Woodson Nixon
When old Katasha exerted herself it behooved all the daughters of her tribe to be in attendance.
The Sun Maid|Evelyn Raymond
He went to Washington to plead for the tribe, and returning, left his wigwam among the Indians after a time, and went to Texas.
Tenting on the Plains|Elizabeth B. Custer

British Dictionary definitions for tribe

tribe

/ (traɪb) /

noun

a social division of a people, esp of a preliterate people, defined in terms of common descent, territory, culture, etc

(an ethnic or ancestral division of ancient cultures, esp of one of the following)

any of the three divisions of the ancient Romans, the Latins, Sabines, and Etruscans
one of the later political divisions of the Roman people
any of the 12 divisions of ancient Israel, each of which was named after and believed to be descended from one of the 12 patriarchs
a phyle of ancient Greece

informal, often jocular

a large number of persons, animals, etc
a specific class or group of persons
a family, esp a large one

biology a taxonomic group that is a subdivision of a subfamily

stockbreeding a strain of animals descended from a common female ancestor through the female line

Derived Forms

tribeless, adjective

Word Origin for tribe

C13: from Latin tribus; probably related to Latin trēs three

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

Medicine definitions for tribe

tribe

[ trīb ]

n.

An occasional taxonomic category placed between a subfamily and a genus or between a suborder and a family and usually containing several genera.