Clan

Quick meaning: Clan is a noun meaning A traditional social group of families in the Scottish Highlands having a common hereditary chieftain.

Meaning

A traditional social group of families in the Scottish Highlands having a common hereditary chieftain.

More Meanings

1. Any group defined by family ties with some sort of political unity.
2. (video games) A group of players who habitually play on the same team in multiplayer games.
3. A badger colony.
4. (anthropology) A group of people all descended from a common ancestor, in fact or belief, especially when the exact genealogies are not known.

Example Sentences

Holonym: nation

Near-synonym: canton (uncommon outside of certain dialects)

As a rule, you see, I'm not lugged into Family Rows. On the occasions when Aunt is calling to Aunt like mastodons bellowing across primeval swamps and Uncle James's letter about Cousin Mabel's peculiar behaviour is being shot round the family circle... the clan has a tendency to ignore me.

Word Forms

• clans

Synonyms for clan

Depending on context, synonyms include canton, kin, tribe, kindred.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include kin, kindred, tribe, lineage, family, gens.

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