Added 9 October 2026
tribe
/tɹaɪb/ noun
In Latin: tribus Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about tribe at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
-
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.
the Twelve Tribes of Israel; Germanic tribes; Celtic tribes
- A tribal nation or people.
- A nation or people considered culturally primitive, as may be the case in Africa, Australia or Native America.
verb
- To distribute into tribes or classes; to categorize.
Origin
PIE word *tréyes From Middle English tribe, tribu, from Old French tribu, from Latin tribus. Doublet of tribus. Displaced native Old English hād (“tribe, group”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)