The predominant worldwide use of the term in english is in the discipline of anthropology. Tribe (plural tribes) (history, anthropology) 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 meaning of tribe is a community composed chiefly of numerous families, clans, or generations who have a shared ancestry, culture, and language —often used in the capitalized names of specific tribes.
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Any group of people, typically a subdivision of a nation or an ethnic group, that is united by ties of descent from a common ancestor, shared customs and traditions, recognition of the same leader or leaders, etc.
A group of related clans.
Tribe, in anthropology, a notional form of human social organization based on a set of smaller groups (known as bands), having temporary or permanent political integration, and defined by traditions of common descent, language, culture, and ideology. A group of people, often of related families, who live together, sharing the same language… In the nineteenth century, the term tribe was woven into the theories of primitive society governed by the principles of ‘kinship’ proposed by the emerging social sciences, including the anthropology of morgan and the sociology of durkheim. A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states, though some modern theorists hold that contemporary tribes can only be understood in terms of their relationship to states.
Definition of tribe noun in oxford advanced learner's dictionary Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
