[syn: kin, kin group, kinship group, kindred, clan, tribe]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Tribe \Tribe\, v. t.
To distribute into tribes or classes. [R.]
[1913 Webster]
Our fowl, fish, and quadruped are well tribed. --Abp.
Nicolson.
[1913 Webster] Triblet
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Tribe \Tribe\, n. [L. tribus, originally, a third part of the
Roman people, afterwards, a division of the people, a tribe;
of uncertain origin: cf. F. tribu.]
[1913 Webster]
1. A family, race, or series of generations, descending from
the same progenitor, and kept distinct, as in the case of
the twelve tribes of Israel, descended from the twelve
sons of Jacob. "The Lion of the tribe of Juda." --Rev. v.
5.
[1913 Webster]
A wealthy Hebrew of my tribe. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Bot.) A number of species or genera having certain
structural characteristics in common; as, a tribe of
plants; a tribe of animals.
[1913 Webster]
Note: By many recent naturalists, tribe has been used for a
group of animals or plants intermediate between order
and genus.
[1913 Webster]
3. A nation of savages or uncivilized people; a body of rude
people united under one leader or government; as, the
tribes of the Six Nations; the Seneca tribe.
[1913 Webster]
4. A division, class, or distinct portion of a people, from
whatever cause that distinction may have originated; as,
the city of Athens was divided into ten tribes.
[1913 Webster]
5. (Stock Breeding) A family of animals descended from some
particular female progenitor, through the female line; as,
the Duchess tribe of shorthorns.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
tribe
n 1: a social division of (usually preliterate) people [syn:
tribe, folk]
2: a federation (as of American Indians) [syn: tribe,
federation of tribes]
3: (biology) a taxonomic category between a genus and a
subfamily
4: group of people related by blood or marriage [syn: kin,
kin group, kinship group, kindred, clan, tribe]
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
136 Moby Thesaurus words for "tribe":
age group, animal kingdom, band, battalion, bevy, biotype, blood,
body, branch, brand, breed, brigade, brood, bunch, cabal, cast,
caste, character, clan, class, clique, cohort, color, company,
complement, contingent, corps, coterie, covey, crew, crowd, deme,
denomination, description, designation, detachment, detail,
division, dynasty, ethnic group, faction, family, feather, fleet,
folk, form, gang, genotype, genre, gens, genus, grain, group,
grouping, groupment, house, ilk, in-group, junta, kidney, kin,
kind, kindred, kingdom, label, line, lineage, lot, make, manner,
mark, matriclan, mob, mold, movement, nation, nature, number,
order, out-group, outfit, pack, party, patriclan, pedigree,
peer group, people, persuasion, phalanx, phratry, phyle, phylum,
plant kingdom, platoon, posse, race, regiment, salon, section,
seed, sept, series, set, shape, sort, species, squad, stable,
stamp, stem, stirps, stock, strain, string, stripe, style,
subclass, subfamily, subgenus, subkingdom, suborder, subspecies,
subtribe, superclass, superfamily, superorder, superspecies, team,
the like of, the likes of, totem, troop, troupe, type, variety,
wing
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary:
Tribe
a collection of families descending from one ancestor. The
"twelve tribes" of the Hebrews were the twelve collections of
families which sprang from the sons of Jacob. In Matt. 24:30 the
word has a wider significance. The tribes of Israel are referred
to as types of the spiritual family of God (Rev. 7). (See
ISRAEL, KINGDOM OF; JUDAH, KINGDOM OF.)