tribe

• 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