tribelet

American  

[trahyb-lit] / ˈtraɪb lɪt /

noun

1. a tribe having few members, especially one that is a component of a larger tribal organization.

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Etymology

Origin of tribelet

First recorded in 1850–55; tribe + -let

Example Sentences

The Cholbon tribelet of the Northern Valley Yokuts tribe originally inhabited the area now called Mountain House, according to the Mountain House Community Services District.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 8, 2024

Since the disease may take a very long time to kill its victim, the victim remains alive as a reservoir of microbes to infect other members of the tribelet.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Having killed most of the tribelet, the epidemic then disappears.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

In addition, measles and some of our other “childhood” diseases are more likely to kill infected adults than children, and all adults in the tribelet are susceptible.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Howitt, in a letter to Professor Tylor, reports of the tribes near Maryborough, Queensland: When a man marries a woman from a distant locality, he goes to her tribelet and identifies himself with her people.

From Sex and Society by Thomas, William I.