tribe

Meaning

Noun

1. An ethnic group larger than a band or clan (and which may contain clans) but smaller than a nation (and which in turn may constitute a nation with other tribes). The tribe is often the basis of ethnic identity.
2. A tribal nation or people.
3. (informal) A nation or people considered culturally primitive, as may be the case in Africa, Australia or Native America.
4. A socially cohesive group of people within a society.
5. A class or group of things.
6. A group of apes who live and work together.
7. A hierarchical rank between family and genus.
8. A group of affiliated Mardi Gras Indians.
9. The collective noun for various animals.
10. A family of animals descended from some particular female progenitor, through the female line.

Verb

To distribute into tribes or classes; to categorize.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/tɹaɪb/

Etymology

PIE word
*tréyes
From Middle English tribe, tribu, from Old French tribu, from Latin tribus. Doublet of tribus.