ˈtrīb noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English tribu, tribe, from Old French & Latin; Old French tribu, from Latin tribus one third of the Roman people, division of the people, tribe; perhaps akin to Latin tria, tres three — more at three
1.
a.
(1) : a social group comprising numerous families, clans, or generations together with slaves, dependents, or adopted strangers
the twelve tribes of Israel
although the idea of consanguinity persists, the tribe , as it expands, depends more and more on common social and political institutions, and less on actual kinship — A.H.Keane
(2) : an endogamous social group held to be descended from a common ancestor and composed of numerous families, exogamous clans, bands, or villages that occupies a specific geographic territory, possesses cultural, religious, and linguistic homogeneity, and is commonly united politically under one head or chief — see clan ; compare nation
(3) : a primitive group acting under a chief
nomadic tribes
b.
(1) : a large family group distinguished by close-knit ties, unusually well-marked family traits, or a number of eminent, talented, or successful members
feeding and lodging … the whole tribe of near and distant cousins — Oliver La Farge
(2) : a large family of offspring
devotion … to children is graphically illustrated by the Christmas cards which … feature the smiling faces of the tribe — American Fabrics
c.
(1) : a political division of the Roman people originally constituting one of the three voting units of the assembly of centuries and representing one of the three primitive tribes of ancient Rome and later being set up on a territorial basis, with the number of tribes increased — compare curia 1a
(2) : phyle 1
2. : a group of persons having a common character, occupation, avocation, or interest
of a tribe that accepts the failure of the large interests in life — Donn Byrne
the whole tribe of American literary critics — C.I.Glicksberg
as fishermen … we are beginners, and the humblest and greenest of the tribe — John Mason Brown
3.
a. : a category of taxonomic classification to which various ranks have been assigned sometimes equivalent to or ranking just below a suborder but more commonly ranking below a subfamily ; also : a natural group irrespective of taxonomic rank
the cat tribe
rose tribe
b. : a group of closely related animals or strains within a breed
4. : a group of animals, birds, or sometimes inanimate objects having a common characteristic or being together in a flock or group
this highly unbeloved feathered tribe — Morris Gilbert
a tribe of sparrows
a tribe of tray-shaped baskets — Elizabeth Bowen